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

China is currently facing a sluggish consumer landscape, with the most recent consumer price index in February registering its steepest fall in over a year and producer price index in contractionary territory since October 2022. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2025

However, non-accruals actually grew during its most recent quarter, to 2.2% at fair value from 1.7% in the quarter prior. —Brett Owens, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025

Hard-liners usually point to the success of the German far-right party AfD (known in English as Alternative for Germany), which placed second in the country’s recent elections, its best showing ever. —Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025

The traffic alert was issued Saturday at 11:05 p.m., and the most recent report regarding this incident was released on Saturday at 11:17 p.m. Interstate 670 Current Incidents: There are currently no traffic incidents reported in this area. —Kansas City Star Bot, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 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