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

Recent : 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

During this recent Code Red, however, all 311 calls about homeless welfare were automatically being rerouted to 911, Coleman says. — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026

The first major update came in 1795 with the addition of two stars for Vermont and Kentucky, and the most recent change came in 1960 after Hawaii became the 50th state. — Pete Cuddihy, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026

More than 400,000 people surrounded El Ángel de la Independencia statue for the first Mexico game, then more than 800,000 gathered for the next few games and more than a million during Mexico’s most recent win. — Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026

In its most recent report, the UN said such infections had hit more than 80% of all displacement areas. — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 5 July 2026

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

Rhymes for recent

• decent
• puissant
• indecent

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