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

Recent fights and threats at Beyer High The football investigation follows other incidents at Beyer High School in recent weeks, including fights that prompted a campus lockdown and a threatening social media post directed at the school. — Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026

The Pentagon has strengthened its regional posture in recent weeks. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026

In recent years, there have been several close calls with Letterman getting cast for background work, starting with Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme. — Alex Zalben, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026

Maven Screen Media’s recent productions include Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut Eleanor the Great, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 2 Nov. 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