recently

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   Not very long ago; in the period just before now.

   Grammar: Usually goes with the past simple or present perfect, not the plain present: I recently moved or I have recently moved.

   Patterns

   • recently did something
   • have recently done something
   • until recently

   I recently started learning the guitar.

   Have you spoken to Anna recently?

   The bridge was recently repaired after the storm.

2. 2adverbnot comparable

   During the last few weeks or months, used to describe a trend or change that is still relevant.

   Grammar: Often placed at the start of a sentence or before a verb to show a change in the present situation.

   Patterns

   • until recently
   • only recently

   Until recently, the town had no public library.

   Only recently have scientists understood how the disease spreads.

   Recently, prices at the market have gone up.

Common combinations

until recently

Until recently, he lived with his parents.

only recently

Only recently did she admit she was wrong.

as recently as

As recently as last year, the shop was still open.

very recently

He was very recently promoted.

more recently

More recently, she has been writing poetry.

Synonyms and how they differ

lately

Lately usually goes with the present perfect and describes a stretch of time up to now, while recently also fits a single past event.

newly

Newly is used before a past participle (newly built) and is not used alone like recently.

latterly

Latterly is formal and suggests a period near the end of a longer story.

of late

Of late is a slightly formal phrase for the past little while and sounds more literary than recently.

Opposites

Word family

recent adjective

happening or begun a short time ago

recency noun

the quality of being recent

Commonly confused: recently or lately?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “recently”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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