recent

adjective

re·​cent ˈrē-sᵊnt 

1

a

: having lately come into existence : new, fresh

b

: of or relating to a time not long past

2

capitalized : holocene

recentness noun

Examples of recent in a Sentence

Recent events have brought attention to the problem.

I usually watch that show every week, but I missed the most recent episode.

Medical science has made amazing progress in recent decades.

That was the biggest earthquake in recent history.

Recent Examples on the Web

So why is everyone talking about one man? June 1, 2024 The election, one of the most divisive in recent memory, was widely viewed as a referendum on López Obrador, a leftist populist who has lifted millions out of poverty while bending democratic norms and failing to curb widespread gang violence. —Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2024

This comes after other incidents in recent months of babies being discovered in abnormal locations. —Landon Mion, Fox News, 2 June 2024

But recent revelations suggest Ledecky might have earned one more gold medal. —Elaine Quijano, CBS News, 2 June 2024

Every day brought grim reports of a rising tide of death that eventually took the lives of nearly seven million people worldwide. —— Over recent decades, multinational companies from North America to Europe to Japan had placed their fate in a ruthless sort of efficiency. —Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 2 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin recent-, recens; perhaps akin to Greek kainos new

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing recent

• of recent origin

Kids Definition

recent

adjective

re·​cent ˈrēs-ᵊnt 

1

a

: of or relating to a time not long past

recent history

b

: having lately appeared or come into existence : new, fresh

recent events

2

capitalized : holocene

recently adverb

recentness noun