recent
Americanadjective
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of late occurrence, appearance, or origin; lately happening, done, made, etc..
recent events; a recent trip.
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not long past.
in recent years.
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of or belonging to a time not long past.
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Geology. Recent. noting or pertaining to the present epoch, originating at the end of the glacial period, about 10,000 years ago, and forming the latter half of the Quaternary Period; Holocene.
noun
adjective
adjective
Related Words
See modern.
Other Word Forms
- quasi-recent adjective
- recency noun
- recently adverb
- recentness noun
Etymology
Origin of recent
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin recent- (stem of recēns ) “fresh, new”
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.
They have both not only recruited players brilliantly in recent years, they have followed a plan that suits their own principles and fits the identity they want to establish.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Economists rely on the three-month average to glean recent hiring trends.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
Speculation over Ma’s fate intensified in recent months after he missed a series of high-level meetings—an unusual spell of absence for an official of his rank.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
More recent mission concepts have estimated even longer travel times.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
The most recent time, they’d stood at the window together.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
