recent

[ ree-suhnt ]

adjective

1. of late occurrence, appearance, or origin; lately happening, done, made, etc.:

   recent events; a recent trip.

   Synonyms: new, fresh

   Antonyms: old, early

2. not long past:

   in recent years.

3. of or belonging to a time not long past.
4. Recent. Geology. noting or pertaining to the present epoch, originating at the end of the glacial period, about 10,000 years ago, and forming the latter half of the Quaternary Period; Holocene.

noun

1. Recent. Geology. the Recent Epoch or Series. Also called Holocene.

recent

¹

/ ˈriːsənt /

adjective

1. having appeared, happened, or been made not long ago; modern, fresh, or new

Recent

²

/ ˈriːsənt /

adjective

1. geology another word for Holocene

Recent

/ rē′sənt /

1. See Holocene

Derived Forms

• ˈrecentness, noun
• ˈrecently, adverb

Other Words From

• re·cen·cy re·cent·ness noun
• re·cent·ly adverb
• qua·si-re·cent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of recent¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin recent- (stem of recēns ) “fresh, new”

Word History and Origins

Origin of recent¹

C16: from Latin recens fresh; related to Greek kainos new

Synonym Study

See modern.

Example Sentences

A recent study from the University of Bonn and the LMU Munich challenges this idea.

From Science Daily

In more recent years, increased snowfall protected the glaciers from rising global temperatures.

From Science Daily

DeWitt said during our recent "Salon Talks" conversation how she channeled her own parenting experiences for the role, including what she's learned from her daughters about handling when "people say really hurtful things."

From Salon

The recent releases come after McDonald’s said it plans to invest $100 million in hopes of bringing back customers following an E. coli outbreak linked to slivered onions on the Quarter Pounder hamburgers.

From Salon

Nash highlighted a survey from recording and rehearsal studio network Pirate, which said most artists have not seen an increase in gig fees in recent years despite a rise in ticket prices.

From BBC

Related Words

• late
• new