What does "recent" mean?

A recently viewed or accessed item.

What is a synonym for "recent"?

Common synonyms include: new, past, ancient, brand-new, current, early.

//ˈɹiː.sənt// adj, name, noun

adj, name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Noun

1
A recently viewed or accessed item.
"Obviously, the first time you launch this app, your Recents list is empty."

Adjective

1
Having happened a short while ago.
"Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents."
2
Of the Holocene, particularly pre-21st century. not-comparable, obsolete
3
Up-to-date; not old-fashioned or dated.
4
Having done something a short while ago that distinguishes them as what they are called.
"The cause has several hundred recent donors."
5
Particularly in geology, palaeontology, and astronomy: having occurred a relatively short time ago, but still potentially thousands or even millions of years ago.
"Finding it now means it was produced in more recent times, in astronomical terms."

Adjective

Proper Noun

1
The Holocene. obsolete
"He [Charles Lyell] ignored Quaternary, a term he never accepted. The Recent addressed the age “tenanted by man,” which at the time barely extended beyond the chronicles of the Bible."

"The recent scandals involving altar boys and religious leaders have undermined the faith people have in the Church."

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin recēns (genitive recentis).

Etymology 2

As classifier for a geological epoch coinciding with human presence (“Recent era”) introduced by Charles Lyell in 1833.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.