recent

adjective

re·​cent ˈrē-sᵊnt How to pronounce recent (audio)
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 But in recent years, extremist Jewish groups have increasingly sent activists to the al-Aqsa compound to pray, sometimes openly, which Palestinians view as a provocation. Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 In recent decades Catholic influence has slowly decreased, and the country’s Church has been rocked by a series of abuse scandals involving the clergy. Lauren Kent, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 In Seattle, locking the clock on daylight saving time would push sunrise to after 8:30 a.m. for more than two months of the year—cancelling out the recent bell changes made by Seattle public schools. TIME, 9 Mar. 2024 Maritime smuggling attempts along Southern California’s coastline have increased in recent years. Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 Among the recent crop are Expats, Bad Sisters, Feud, and Yellowjackets. Ellie Austin, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 That was largely the case, until the very topic Republican leaders promised to avoid this session, in light of a recent federal corruption conviction, came up: gaming. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Mar. 2024 The resilience of the labor market has been aided by the recent expansion of the labor force, particularly the strong return of women who left their jobs during the pandemic and an influx of immigration to the United States. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Mar. 2024 Human Rights Watch said the number of aid trucks that have entered the Gaza Strip in recent weeks has dropped 30% and that Israel has not facilitated fuel deliveries to area of the northern territory. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of recent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near recent

Cite this Entry

“Recent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

recent

adjective
re·​cent ˈrēs-ᵊnt How to pronounce recent (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!