lately

lately — adverb

1. during the period of time just before now, continuing up to the present moment

1.adverbB1
Definition

during the period of time just before now, continuing up to the present moment

Example

Have you seen any good films lately that you would recommend?

present perfect question: have you seen...lately?

The weather has been quite warm lately for this time of year.

present perfect continuous + lately

Common collocations
  • lately + present perfect (have/has + past participle)
  • lately + present perfect continuous (have/has been + -ing)
  • just lately for additional emphasis
Synonyms
  • recently

    the most direct synonym; interchangeable with lately in nearly all contexts

  • of late

    more formal and slightly old-fashioned; common in written or literary English

Antonyms
  • long ago

    refers to a distant point in the past, opposite of the recent time lately describes

  • formerly

    refers to a past state or habit that is no longer true, not specifically recent

Grammar Patterns

lately + present perfect

lately + present perfect continuous

Usage Note

Lately is most commonly paired with verbs in the present perfect or present perfect continuous tense. It can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, but sentence-initial position adds emphasis to the time frame.

Common Mistakes

I saw him lately at the market.
I have seen him lately at the market.
Lately normally requires a perfect tense (have/has + past participle), not the simple past.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Lately and recently are the most interchangeable pair; both refer to the period just before now, and both typically pair with perfect tenses. Recently is slightly more frequent in American English and can sometimes appear with simple past ('I recently saw that film'), whereas lately strongly prefers perfect tenses. Of late carries a more formal or literary tone and is less common in everyday conversation. Latterly is rarer still and tends to appear in formal writing, often contrasting an earlier period with a more recent one ('The company was run by the founder; latterly, by her daughter'). For everyday use, recently is the safest choice when the perfect tense sounds natural; lately works best when the action or state extends up to the present.

recently ↗of late ↗latterly

Common collocations

Phrases

  • of late (formal equivalent of lately)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Lately formed in late Middle English from the adjective 'late' (Old English 'læt', meaning slow, delayed, or after the expected time) plus the adverbial suffix '-ly'. By the 1400s it had settled into its modern meaning of 'in recent times' or 'of late'.