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English dictionary

recent Meaning & Definition

/ˈɹiː.sənt/

What Does Recent Mean?

As an adjective, recent means Having happened a short while ago. It is also used to mean Up-to-date; not old-fashioned or dated. As a noun, it means A recently viewed or accessed item.

Recent at a Glance

Part of speechadjective, noun
Pronunciation//ˈɹiː.sənt//
Syllables1
Synonymsnew, modern and past
Pluralrecents
Comparative / superlativemore recent, most recent

Recent Definition (Adjective)

  1. Having happened a short while ago.
  2. Up-to-date; not old-fashioned or dated.
  3. Having done something a short while ago that distinguishes them as what they are called.

    The cause has several hundred recent donors.

  4. Particularly in geology, palaeontology, and astronomy: having occurred a relatively short time ago, but still potentially thousands or even millions of years ago.

Recent as a Noun

  1. A recently viewed or accessed item.

Adjective

  1. (capitalised as "Recent") Of the Holocene, particularly pre-21st century.

Synonyms of Recent

Recent synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Recent

No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.

Recent in a Sentence

The cause has several hundred recent donors.

I met three recent graduates at the conference.

Word Forms & Grammar

recent (comparative more recent, superlative most recent)

recent (plural recents)

Words That Rhyme With Recent

Origin of Recent

Borrowed from Latin recēns (genitive recentis).

Pronouncing Recent

You say recent as //ˈɹiː.sənt//. It has 1 syllable.

Questions People Ask About Recent

Is recent an adjective or a noun?

Recent is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as a noun.

What is another word for recent?

Words with a similar meaning to recent include new, modern and past. See the full list of recent synonyms and antonyms.

What is the plural of recent?

The plural of recent is recents.

What are the comparative and superlative forms of recent?

The comparative form is more recent and the superlative form is most recent.

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