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

Under her direction, Shoma Group has consistently turned bold ideas into tangible results, including the recent sale of Shoma Village in Hialeah for nearly $100 million. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 16 May 2025

Considering the champions the majors have produced in recent years, this leaderboard more closely resembled the Myrtle Beach Classic. —Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025

The film has been compared to the recent comedy Death of a Unicorn in terms of general public awareness. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

But shooting an entire feature film on the famously big, loud and unwieldy Imax film cameras (unlike the lighter, quieter digital Imax cameras, used in recent films such as Thunderbolts* and the upcoming Superman) was unworkable. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 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