lately
lately Lexical Profile
lately Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
Recently; not long ago; in the recent past or during a period of time leading up to the present.
"Have you spoken to your cousins lately, or have you been too busy with university classes?"
Word Nuance & Usage
Unlike 'recently', which can refer to a single completed event in the past, 'lately' generally refers to repeated actions or ongoing states over a recent period and is predominantly used with perfect tenses (e.g., 'Have you seen her lately?'). Additionally, do not confuse 'lately' (meaning recently) with the adverb 'late' (meaning after the expected time).
• Rhymes for lately
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English lætlice, meaning 'slowly' or 'tardily', formed from the adjective læt ('slow, tardy, late') and the adverbial suffix -lice ('-ly'). The modern temporal sense of 'recently' or 'not long ago' emerged in the 15th century.