See examples of recently used in a sentence. Definition of recently adverb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Holocene. Until recently the civil war had been largely unreported in the press. After languishing in obscurity for many years, her early novels have recently been rediscovered. /ˈrisɪntli/ /ˈrisəntli/ IPA guide Definitions of recently adverb in the recent past “he was in Paris recently ” happening or done a short while ago: We recently returned home. occurring, appearing, or starting a short while ago: Recent events suggest that peace is at hand. The bank recently opened a branch in Germany. See table under geologic time. If you have done something recently or if something happened recently, it happened only a short time ago.