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I am looking for a word that has a similar meaning to "adjacent," except referring to time instead of space. For example, maybe I'm at a film festival and I'm watching three movies in a row, and I want to refer to the three "adjacent" films.

"Subsequent" gets close to the meaning I want, but that word focuses on one thing following another in time, whereas I would like a word meaning "next to," either before or after.

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Nigh means "near in time, place, or relationship: Evening draws nigh." It is the right meaning for your title question ("word meaning 'nearby in time'"), but I don't know how you would use it in the context you mention (consecutive movie viewing). Also, nigh is kind of a poetic, old-fashioned word. I am not sure I have ever used it in everyday conversation. –  JLG Apr 17 '12 at 15:30

4 Answers 4

up vote 10 down vote accepted

How about "consecutive"? Alternatively, "back-to-back".

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Consecutive! That's what I was looking for. Thanks! –  Matt Apr 17 '12 at 20:26

Previously-suggested consecutive ("following, in succession, without interruption") and back-to-back ("sequential or consecutive"; also see question #34175) are quite suitable, as would be sequential itself, but if you want slightly more figurative words, consider caravaned (traveling in procession) and chockablock (as completely or closely [together] as possible). Examples: "I watched three films chockablock." "The three films caravaned past as I sat there."

Note that while conterminous has one suitable sense ("Meeting end-to-end or at the ends", ie back-to-back) it also has an unsuitable sense ("Having the same scope, range of meaning, or extent in time", ie contemporaneous) so is unsuitable except as a confuser.

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temporal proximity

Events occurring in quick succession are said to be in temporal proximity of each other.

Anything else I can think of now seems to convey a meaning only in the semantic proximity of, not synonymous with, 'near-by in time'.

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I think this is the correct answer. You (a) open a bottle, (b) pour a glass, and (c) take a sip of wine. Sure, you can say those three events are consecutive (provided you've listed them in that order), but that's about all the word is good for in such a context. You can't really use it at all to describe the relationship between (a) and (c), for example. On the other hand, you can happily say any of those steps occurs in temporal proximity to either or both of the other two. –  FumbleFingers Apr 17 '12 at 21:07

My dear sweet lullaby

You are close to me in space and time

And as your timeline passes me by

I sense your consciousness in proximity of time

So too I long for your affinity to my

space when your space invades mine.

And when your soul overfly

I long for your intimacy in space, spirit and time.

You are eventual to me.

And I am consequential to you.

Your events seem sequentially next to be

Where I tend to see your presence in lieu.

I am your immediate aftermath

and you are my spontaneous progression

I am your adjacent episode

and you are my incident chapter

I am your succeeding sentence

and you are my preceding occurrence.

Though I am your successive misadventure

you are my precedent advent.

Oh my sweet lullaby, how coincidentally congruent we are towards each other.

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+1 An nice way to drive the point home. –  Kris Apr 18 '12 at 7:46

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