recent

[ ree-suhnt ]

/ ˈri sənt /

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adjective

of late occurrence, appearance, or origin; lately happening, done, made, etc.: recent events; a recent trip.

not long past: in recent years.

of or belonging to a time not long past.

(initial capital letter) Geology. 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

Also called Holocene. (initial capital letter) Geology. the Recent Epoch or Series.

Nearby words

Origin of recent

1525–35; < Latin recent- (stem of recēns) fresh, new

SYNONYMS FOR recent

1 fresh, new. See modern.

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ANTONYMS FOR recent

1 early, old.

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Related formsre·cen·cy, re·cent·ness, nounre·cent·ly, adverbqua·si-re·cent, adjectivequa·si-re·cent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recently

But he told me recently that Malia would do my impression of him to him.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I just recently rewatched all six Star Wars movies the other day… Oh wow, from the beginning?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is the Mexico that has been called a “failed state” — most recently by Jose “Pepe” Mujica, the president of Uruguay.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Recently, historians have been working hard to write books that are more accessible.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Antoine himself had recently been arrested on a six-year-old warrant for a dime bag of weed.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Recently he has been even more than usually kind to us, especially to Edith.
Coningsby|Benjamin Disraeli
The cost of some headings in the new red sandstone which the writer recently inspected, varied from 30s.
Water Supply: the Present Practice of Sinking and Boring Wells|Ernest Spon
And this is good for the soul, and better than the unrestrained indulgence which Callicles was recently approving.
Gorgias|Plato
Something heavy had rested there recently—there had been other desks about, or heavily laden tables.
Pursuit|Lester del Rey
The chrisom was the linen cloth, or garment, which the priest put on the recently baptized child.
Parish Priests and Their People in the Middle Ages in England|Edward L. Cutts

British Dictionary definitions for recently (1 of 2)

recent

/ (ˈriːsənt) /

adjective

having appeared, happened, or been made not long ago; modern, fresh, or new

Derived Formsrecently, adverbrecentness or recency, noun

Word Origin for recent

C16: from Latin recens fresh; related to Greek kainos new

British Dictionary definitions for recently (2 of 2)

Recent

/ (ˈriːsənt) /

adjective, noun

geology another word for Holocene

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for recently

recent

adj.

early 15c., from Latin recentem (nominative recens) "lately done or made, new, fresh, young," from re- (see re-) + PIE root *ken- "fresh, new, young" (cf. Greek kainos "new;" Sanskrit kanina- "young;" Old Irish cetu- "first;" Old Church Slavonic načino "to begin," koni "beginning"). Related: Recently; recentness (1670s, but OED reports recency (1610s) was "Common in 19th c.").