recently

recently — adverb

1. happening or starting a short time before the present moment, or during a short

1.adverbB1
Definition

happening or starting a short time before the present moment, or during a short period that began not far in the past and continues until now

Example

Karim has recently started a new job at a hospital in Taipei.

mid-position with present perfect

Zola recently opened a small bakery in the city center.

Common collocations
  • have/has recently + past participle
  • only recently
  • until recently
Synonyms
  • lately

    similar meaning but more common in questions and negative statements; slightly less formal

  • just

    places the event extremely close to the present moment; used before the main verb with past simple in British English

  • of late

    more formal and less common in everyday speech

Antonyms
  • long ago

    refers to a time far in the past

  • ages ago

    informal; emphasizes a very distant past

Grammar Patterns

recently + past simple

have/has + recently + past participle

recently at start of sentence

Usage Note

Recently commonly appears with past simple, present perfect, and present perfect continuous tenses. It usually goes before the main verb (mid-position) or at the start or end of a sentence for emphasis. Present simple is not used with recently because it refers to habits or facts, not finished past events.

Common Mistakes

I recently go to the cinema with my friends.
I recently went to the cinema with my friends.
Recently refers to a past time, so use a past tense like simple past or present perfect, not present simple.

Word family

  • recent
    adjectiveB1
  • recentness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Recently and lately are often interchangeable, but lately tends to appear more in questions ("Has anything changed lately?") and negative statements ("I haven't seen her lately"), while recently is common in positive statements about specific events. Just is stronger — it means only moments ago, and in British English it pairs with past simple ("I just saw Reema"), whereas recently covers a wider time window (hours, days, even weeks). Of late is the most formal option and works best in written announcements or serious discussion. For everyday speech, recently is the safest, most natural choice for most situations.

recently ↗lately ↗just ↗of late ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the recently + past participle (e.g., the recently completed project)

Adverbs

  • just recently
  • very recently
  • only recently
  • quite recently

Phrases

  • until recently
  • only recently
  • as recently as (last week)

Prepositions

  • until recently
  • as recently as

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Recently comes from the adjective recent, taken from Latin recens meaning 'fresh, new'. The -ly suffix was added to form an adverb meaning 'in a fresh or new manner', which later developed into the modern meaning of 'not long ago'.