lately

American  

[leyt-lee] / ˈleɪt li /

adverb

1. of late; recently; not long since.

   He has been very grouchy lately.

---

lately British  

/ ˈleɪtlɪ /

adverb

1. in recent times; of late

---

Etymology

Origin of lately

before 1000; Middle English latli; Old English lætlīce; see late, -ly

Explanation

Something that happened lately occurred very recently. If you've spotted a fox every day for the last week, you might say, "I've seen so many foxes lately!" If your friend says, "I've been really stressed out lately," she means she's been overworked and tense for the past few days, weeks, or possibly months. Lately is an adverb that covers the immediate past, a period of time that wasn't too long ago. A more old-fashioned way to say lately is "of late." Though this word has had its current meaning since the fifteenth century, it originally meant "slow or sluggish."

Example Sentences

Outside of music, what are some things that have been keeping you grounded and excited lately?

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

With Kimi Antonelli doing especially well lately and a lot of talk about his talent and future, can we put some of his results down to his race engineer Pete Bonnington?

From BBC • May 19, 2026

If you’ve been anywhere online or in stores lately, you’ve likely encountered marketing buzz like “Sign-up to earn loyalty discounts” or “Become a rewards member today!”

From Salon • May 18, 2026

But memory chip stocks haven’t been tested lately, with no sustained major pullback in the past year.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Come to think of it, I hadn’t been paying much attention to Dad or what he’d been doing lately either.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen