What does "new" mean?
Things that are new.
New
/njuː/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Things that are new.
- Grammar: new is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: fresh, modern, novel, ab ovo.
- Useful contrasts: aald, hackneyed, longtime.
- Usage evidence: I thought you liked to learn new things.
How to use "new"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "new" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "new" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "new" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "new" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "new" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "fresh" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "new", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Things that are new. countable, invariable, plural, plural-only, uncountable
"Out with the old, in with the new."
- 2 A typically light-coloured lager brewed by the bottom-fermentation method. Australia, uncountable
- 3 A naval cadet who has just embarked on training. UK, countable, slang
"In the Britannia "news" were worms, to be trodden on […]"
Verb
- 1 Synonym of new up.
- 2 To make new; to recreate; to renew. obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Recently made, or created.
"This is a new scratch on my car! The band just released a new album."
- 2 Recently made, or created.; Of recent origin; having taken place recently.
"I can't see you for a while; the pain is still too new. Did you see the new King Lear at the theatre?"
- 3 Additional; recently discovered.
"We turned up some new evidence from the old files."
- 4 Current or later, as opposed to former.
"My new car is much better than my previous one, even though it is older. We had been in our new house for five years by then."
- 5 Used to distinguish something established more recently, named after something or some place previously existing.
"New Bond Street is an extension of Bond Street."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 In original condition; pristine; not previously worn or used.
"Are you going to buy a new car or a second-hand one?"
- 7 Refreshed, reinvigorated, reformed.
"That shirt is dirty. Go and put on a new one. I feel like a new person after a good night's sleep. After the accident, I saw the world with new eyes."
- 8 Newborn.
"My sister has a new baby, and our mother is excited to finally have a grandchild."
- 9 Strange, unfamiliar or not previously known.
"Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return."
- 10 Recently arrived or appeared.
"'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed."
- 11 Inexperienced or unaccustomed at some task.
"Don't worry that you're new at this job; you'll get better with time. I'm new at this business, I'm still new to the work."
- 12 Next; about to begin or recently begun.
"We expect to grow at 10% annually in the new decade."
Adjective
- 1 (often followed by ‘to’) unfamiliar wordnet
- 2 having no previous example or precedent or parallel wordnet
- 3 (of crops) harvested at an early stage of development; before complete maturity wordnet
- 4 used of a living language; being the current stage in its development wordnet
- 5 in use after medieval times wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 lacking training or experience wordnet
- 7 not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered wordnet
- 8 original and of a kind not seen before wordnet
- 9 other than the former one(s); different wordnet
- 10 unaffected by use or exposure wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Synonym of newly, especially in composition.
"Near-synonym: recently"
- 2 As new; from scratch.
"They are scraping the site clean to build new."
Adverb
- 1 very recently wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname.
"The surname, "New," appears on both Hampshire Co., Virginia and Pendleton Co., Kentucky records."
- 2 Ellipsis of New College, Oxford. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal, uncommon
Example
"I thought you liked to learn new things."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "new"?
Common synonyms include: fresh, modern, novel, ab ovo, accessory, actual.
How do you use "new" in a sentence?
I thought you liked to learn new things.
How do you pronounce "new"?
Pronounced /njuː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English newe, from Old English nīewe, from Proto-West Germanic *niwi, from Proto-Germanic *niwjaz, from Proto-Indo-European *néwyos (“new”), from *néwos. Compare also Old English nū (“now”). More at now. Doublet of nuevo and novuss. Cognates Cognate with Scots new (“new”), North Frisian nai, nei, nii (“new”), Saterland Frisian näi (“new”), West Frisian nij (“new”), Alemannic German nöi, nüüw (“new”), Bavarian neich (“new”), Cimbrian naüge (“new”), Dutch nieuw, nij (“new”), Dutch Low Saxon nij (“new”), German neu, new, neuw (“new”), Low German nee, neei (“new”), Luxembourgish nei (“new”), Yiddish נײַ (nay, “new”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish ny (“new”), Faroese nýggjur (“new”), Icelandic nýr (“new”), Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐍃 (niujis, “new”), Latin novus (“new”), Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “new”), Welsh newydd (“new”), Russian но́вый (nóvyj, “new”), Armenian նոր (nor, “new”), Persian نو (now, “new”), Northern Kurdish nû (“new”), Hindi नया (nayā, “new”), Tocharian B ñuwe (“new”).
Etymology 2
* As an English surname, from the adjective new. * Also as an English surname, from a misdivision of Middle English atten ew (“at the yew”). * As a German and Jewish surname, Americanized from Neu. * As a Chinese surname, from a Romanization of 牛 (niú) (see Niu) and 梁 (liáng) (see Liang).