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.
BMI has faced increasing criticism in recent years because it does not directly measure body fat or account for how fat is distributed in the body.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
Signs of de-escalation had buoyed markets in recent sessions, but Trump's speech dashed those hopes.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
The recent single 2Sided depicts a night where Parks was reluctant to leave the house; only finding motivation in the chance she'd bump into her crush.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
The industry raised $43 billion in fresh capital last year, though those inflows have been slowing in recent months, Stanger data shows.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
The recent snow had melted, but the air was cold and the ground was slick with mud.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
