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

Find your favorite genre: Three new memoirs tell stories of struggle and resilience, while five recent historical novels offer a window into other times. —Steven Petrow, Washington Post, 19 July 2024

Britney Spears has responded after Ozzy Osbourne and his family commented on her dancing videos on a recent episode of The Osbournes Podcast. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2024

While the other co-hosts Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farrah Griffin and Sara Haines shared their various Biden-Trump strategies, Goldberg, whose recent bout with Covid was apparently her fourth, brought the discussion back to Behar’s point about Covid. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2024

The 37-year-old rapper went deeper into the situation, drawing a parallel to some recent happenings in California. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 18 July 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