recently

adverb

re·​cent·​ly ˈrē-sᵊnt-lē How to pronounce recently (audio)
Synonyms of recentlynext
: during a recent period of time : lately

Synonyms of recently

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of recently in a Sentence

She recently graduated from college. I was going to paint the room white, but more recently I've been considering a light blue. I saw him recently for the first time in many years. Only recently did they decide to move. Until recently I had no idea where I would end up finding a job.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
More recently, a department official admitted in a private hearing to underreporting misdemeanor domestic abuse allegations after the state passed a law that mandates reporting and can trigger permanent bans from police work in California. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 Congress has recently presented legislation to resolve the chaos, although the involvement of politicians produces more dread than hope. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026 The transformation hasn’t happened overnight; Fahy has been inching towards a shorter style for a little while now, having recently been spotted at the Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program Luncheon with a shoulder-length chop. — Jacqueline Kilikita, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026 Until recently, scientists weren’t even sure Nanotyrannus was a separate dinosaur. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for recently

Word History

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recently was in 1533

Rhymes for recently

See All Rhymes for recently

Browse Nearby Words

recent
recently
recentralization
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Recently.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recently. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All