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

Pilipino Workers Center has been raising and distributing funds to Filipino Americans affected by the recent fires, said Soriano-Versoza. —Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025

Arrowheads and pottery galore go back millennia, while Plains Indians headdresses and Osage war clubs represent just some of the holdings from the recent past. —John Oseid, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Movies based on videogames, once unfertile IP for Hollywood at the box office, have blossomed in recent years. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has sent a statement to members, apologizing for not publicly supporting No Other Land co-director Hamdan Ballal after his recent assault and arrest in the West Bank, in the village of Susiya, his hometown. —Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 28 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