recent

/ˈrisnt/

/ˈrisənt/

Other forms: recenter; recentest

If something is recent, it happened in the immediate past or not long ago. You are a recent fan of yoga if you just started liking it in the past week or two.

If you talk about something that happened in recent months or years, it means the last one to three months or years. Otherwise, recent means new or just happened. It’s particularly useful when you don’t know exactly when something happened, but you know it wasn’t long ago. Perhaps you have been a recent guest star on a show, and your recent movies have been very successful. You know it wasn’t long ago at all and you are still a star!

Definitions of recent

1. adjective

   of the immediate past or just previous to the present time
   “his recent trip to Africa”

   “in recent months”

   “a recent issue of the journal”

   synonyms: late

   past

   earlier than the present time; no longer current
2. adjective

   new
   “recent graduates”

   “a recent addition to the house”

   “recent buds on the apple trees”

   synonyms:

   new

   not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered