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new

/nu/

/nu/

Other forms: newest; newer

If something's new, it has never been seen or discovered or invented before. Anything can be new: a country, an idea, a product. If you spend half an hour watching TV, you'll see an incredible selection of new items being advertised.

There are lots of shades of meaning attached to new. For example, by its very nature something that's new is unfamiliar, and the two words are often used interchangeably. New can also mean something different from what has gone before — as in a new political strategy — or, as advertising would have you believe, something fresh and original, like that new and improved version of your favorite laundry detergent you just bought.

Definitions of new
  1. adjective
    not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
    “a new law”
    new cars”
    “a new comet”
    “a new friend”
    “a new year”
    “the New World”
    Synonyms:
    current
    occurring in or belonging to the present time
    fresh
    recently made, produced, or harvested
    modern
    belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
    bran-new, brand-new, spic-and-span, spick-and-span
    conspicuously new
    fresh
    (of a cycle) beginning or occurring again
    hot, red-hot
    newest or most recent
    new-sprung, newborn
    having just or recently arisen or come into existence
    newfound
    newly discovered
    novel, refreshing
    pleasantly new or different
    parvenu, parvenue
    of or characteristic of a parvenu
    recent
    new
    radical, revolutionary
    markedly new or introducing radical change
    rising
    newly come into prominence
    sunrise
    of an industry or technology; new and developing
    untested, untried
    not yet proved or subjected to testing
    unused
    not yet put into use
    virgin
    being used or worked for the first time
    young
    being in its early stage
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    old
    of long duration; not new
    noncurrent
    not current or belonging to the present time
    stale
    lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
    nonmodern
    not modern; of or characteristic of an earlier time
    age-old, antique
    belonging to or lasting from times long ago
    antediluvian, antiquated, archaic
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
    antique
    made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age
    auld
    a Scottish word
    hand-down, hand-me-down
    passed on from one person to another
    hoary, rusty
    ancient
    immemorial
    long past; beyond the limits of memory or tradition or recorded history
    long-ago
    belonging to time long gone
    longtime
    of long duration
    patched
    mended usually clumsily by covering a hole with a patch
    secondhand, used
    previously used or owned by another
    sunset
    of a declining industry or technology
    yellow, yellowed
    changed to a yellowish color by age
    past
    earlier than the present time; no longer current
    worn
    affected by wear; damaged by long use
    show more antonyms...
  2. adverb
    very recently
    “grass new washed by the rain”
    synonyms: fresh, freshly, newly
  3. adjective
    original and of a kind not seen before
    synonyms: fresh, novel
    original
    being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of
  4. adjective
    having no previous example or precedent or parallel
    synonyms: unexampled
    unprecedented
    having no precedent; novel
  5. adjective
    unfamiliar
    new experiences”
    “experiences new to him”
    “errors of someone new to the job”
    Synonyms:
    unaccustomed
    not habituated to; unfamiliar with
  6. adjective
    (of a new kind or fashion) gratuitously new
    “she buys all these new-fangled machines and never uses them”
    synonyms: newfangled
    original
    being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of
  7. adjective
    lacking training or experience
    “the new men were eager to fight”
    synonyms: raw
    inexperienced, inexperient
    lacking practical experience or training
  8. adjective
    unaffected by use or exposure
    “it looks like new
    Synonyms:
    unweathered
    not worn by exposure to the weather
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    worn
    affected by wear; damaged by long use
    old
    of long duration; not new
    aged
    at an advanced stage of erosion (pronounced as one syllable)
    attrited
    worn by rubbing or friction
    battered
    damaged especially by hard usage
    clapped out
    worn from age or heavy use and no longer able to operate (of cars or machines or people)
    creaky, decrepit, derelict, flea-bitten, run-down, woebegone
    worn and broken down by hard use
    dog-eared, eared
    worn or shabby from overuse or (of pages) from having corners turned down
    eroded, scoured
    worn away as by water or ice or wind
    frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    mangey, mangy
    having many worn or threadbare spots in the nap
    moth-eaten, mothy
    worn or eaten away by (or as if by) moths
    played out
    worn out
    ragged, raggedy
    being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
    raddled, worn-out
    used until no longer useful
    moth-eaten, raggedy, ratty, shabby, tatty
    showing signs of wear and tear
    scruffy, seedy
    shabby and untidy
    shopsoiled, shopworn
    worn or faded from being on display in a store
    tatterdemalion, tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    threadbare
    having the nap worn away so that the threads show through
    thumbed
    (of pages) worn or soiled by thumb and fingers by frequent handling or turning
    vermiculate, worm-eaten, wormy
    infested with or damaged (as if eaten) by worms
    waterworn
    (of rocks especially) worn smooth by the action of water
    weather-beaten, weathered, weatherworn
    worn by exposure to the weather
    well-worn
    showing signs of much wear or use
    show more antonyms...
  9. adjective
    (of crops) harvested at an early stage of development; before complete maturity
    new potatoes”
    synonyms: young
    early
    being or occurring at an early stage of development
  10. adjective
    other than the former one(s); different
    “my new car is four years old but has only 15,000 miles on it”
    “ready to take a new direction”
    Synonyms:
    other
    not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
Pronunciation
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘new'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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