fresh
Americanadjective
-
fresher,
comparative
-
freshest
superlative
-
newly made or obtained.
fresh footprints.
- Antonyms:
- old
-
recently arrived; just come.
fresh from school.
-
new; not previously known, met with, etc.; novel.
to uncover fresh facts;
to seek fresh experiences.
-
additional or further.
fresh supplies.
-
not salty, as water.
-
retaining the original properties unimpaired; not stale or spoiled.
Is the milk still fresh?
-
not preserved by freezing, canning, pickling, salting, drying, etc..
fresh vegetables.
-
not tired or fatigued; brisk; vigorous.
She was still fresh after that long walk.
-
not faded, worn, obliterated, etc.: a fresh appearance.
fresh paint;
a fresh appearance.
-
looking youthful and healthy.
a fresh beauty that we all admired.
-
pure, cool, or refreshing, as air.
- Synonyms:
- unadulterated, sweet, invigorating
-
denoting a young wine, especially a white or rosé, that is clean, crisp, and uncomplicated.
-
Meteorology. (of wind) moderately strong or brisk.
-
Two hundred fresh recruits arrived at the training camp.
- Antonyms:
- skilled, experienced
-
Informal. forward or presumptuous.
-
(of a cow) having recently given birth to a calf.
-
Slang.
noun
-
the fresh part or time.
-
a freshet.
verb (used with or without object)
adverb
adjective
-
not stale or deteriorated; newly made, harvested, etc
fresh bread
fresh strawberries
-
newly acquired, created, found, etc
fresh publications
-
novel; original
a fresh outlook
-
latest; most recent
fresh developments
-
further; additional; more
fresh supplies
-
not canned, frozen, or otherwise preserved
fresh fruit
-
(of water) not salt
-
bright or clear
a fresh morning
-
chilly or invigorating
a fresh breeze
-
not tired; alert; refreshed
-
not worn or faded
fresh colours
-
having a healthy or ruddy appearance
-
newly or just arrived; straight
fresh from the presses
-
youthful or inexperienced
-
designating a female farm animal, esp a cow, that has recently given birth
-
informal presumptuous or disrespectful; forward
-
dialect partially intoxicated; tipsy
noun
-
the fresh part or time of something
-
another name for freshet
verb
adverb
-
in a fresh manner; freshly
-
informal having just run out of supplies of
Usage
What is a basic definition of fresh? Fresh is an adjective that describes something as new or recently made, as being not spoiled or not preserved, or as being energized or not tired. Fresh has many other senses as an adjective and a few as a noun and a verb. If something is fresh, it has not existed for very long or is so new that it has never been used or seen before.
- Real-life examples: Kids like to play in fresh snow that is still soft and not frozen. A fresh pen has never been used before. When people want to try something different, they need fresh ideas.
- Used in a sentence: I grabbed a piece of paper that was fresh out of the pack.
- Used in a sentence: That gross, smelly fish clearly isn’t fresh.
- Used in a sentence: The tired players sat on the bench and fresh substitutes took their place.
Synonym Usage
See new.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of fresh
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English fersc; cognate with Old Frisian fersk, Old High German frisc ( German frisch ), Old Norse ferskr
Explanation
Fresh describes things that are new or energetic, like fresh bread from the oven and fresh music from a recording artist. Moldy bread and grandpa's polkas? Not so fresh. There are many uses for the adjective fresh, from being flirty to being well-rested. Ripe foods taste fresh compared to freezer-burned varieties, and fresh ideas are exciting and new. Fresh water is without the bitterness of salt water. Modern and different are also synonyms of fresh, while stale and tired are opposites.
Vocabulary lists containing fresh
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Collins, 73, began her political career fresh from college in the 1970s and she entered the US Senate in 1997.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Dining rooms are also getting overhauls with fresh paint and redesigned bars and booths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Impacts could have fractured the objects and exposed fresh material, potentially changing their surface compositions and colors.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
They were fresh off consecutive 11-win seasons in Harbaugh’s first two seasons at the helm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
She opens the day planner to a fresh page and looks at Nate.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
But part of Hyundai’s planned conquest of the U.S. market is to move fast, product-wise, in order to stay fresher, longer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
Those plans also include fresher coffee, larger burgers and restaurant remodels.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
For example, he said, the Emmy voting and award show calendar might be adjusted after 2027 so the event could occur earlier in the year, such as in May, when the shows feel fresher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
By Thursday the winds will turn more westerly or north-westerly, bringing a fresher air mass and a cooler feel to the weather.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
They were smaller, and the edges looked fresher; that was all.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
The emergence of a new kind of online shopper, using these sites and willing to pay luxury prices for used pieces, has become so prominent that it is sometimes outshining the freshest runway trends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Here’s how one of L.A.’s freshest new restaurants makes grains, greens and veggies sing — and how home cooks can replicate its grain bowls and salads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
The shops are busiest then but also have the freshest inventory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
“As a small business, we take pride in offering the freshest candy, exceptional service and a personal touch that big-box retailers and closeout competitors simply can’t match,” the company says on its site.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2025
We always brought him coffee when it was the freshest and hottest, and when one of the hatchery assistants bought doughnuts, we saved our father a jelly one, because we knew that was his favorite.
From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata
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