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recency

American  
[ree-suhn-see] / ˈri sən si /
Sometimes recentness

noun

  1. the fact of being recent, of having occurred a relatively short time ago; closeness of a past event to a later past time or to the present.

    The general nervousness during that period was mostly due to the recency of the great stock market crash.

  2. the fact of being more recent than something else and therefore more salient or memorable (often used attributively).

    The data might be showing recency effects—that is, choices presented later were more likely to be selected by participants.


Etymology

Origin of recency

recen(t) ( def. ) + -cy ( def. )

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:

The glow of a World Series appearance — also known as recency bias — enhances value.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 1, 2026

A big reason to keep a brag book is to guard against recency bias.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 29, 2026

There is no easy antidote to recency bias.

From MarketWatch Jan. 14, 2026

Over 120 of these studies were given priority based on sample size, recency, relevance and the range of health conditions they addressed.

From Science Daily Dec. 12, 2025

What particular word shall be recalled depends on the frequency, recency and intensity of past linkage.

From Psychology A Study Of Mental Life by Woodworth, Robert S.

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