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

There is, actually, another category of nail lovers that has emerged in recent years, and those are people who swear by temporary press-ons. —Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025

As a recent ProPublica story revealed, the promises of the H-2A visa program can be undermined by extreme abuses the workers suffer, mostly by labor contractors. —Max Blau, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2025

Concerns are mounting that the recent surge in Chinese onshore stocks has been fueled by excess liquidity. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025

Due to a recent Achilles heel injury, Brown sat in the front row with crutches, his injured leg stretched on the aisle. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 16 Sep. 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