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

In recent years, political conversations have become sharper, angrier and much more personal. —Dan Rene, Boston Herald, 25 Nov. 2025

Kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs have become common in much of northern Nigeria in recent years. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 24 Nov. 2025

Driving this has been the huge swathes of cash flowing into the asset class, chasing yields at high levels compared to recent years. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

But only 52% of students in the county met grade level standards in reading on the most recent STAAR exam, and only 43% did so in math. —Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025

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