recent memory
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3.5
- noun
- /ˈriːsənt ˈmɛməri/
- Indeed, the war on terrorism has brought Washington and Algiers closer than at any other time in recent memory.
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Watch on YouTubeHow far away do you think we are from this being even a recent memory?
- How far away do you think we are from this being even a recent memory?
- And I had the most restful, peaceful night of sleep in recent memory.
- I mean, it's literally yesterday was the first day I can remember in recent memory at all that was even remotely not blazing hot.
- But are there any particular writers or books that you have been paying particular attention to in recent memory?
- Think about which scientist in recent memory has had probably saved more lives than any scientist to come.
Examples
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We're just one-quarter of the way through the busiest week in politics in recent memory.
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Isn't this the most wide-open NFL MVP race in recent memory?
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This is a more recent memory of when we were on tour.
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There have been a few of these, but one in recent memory stands out.
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The team is not perfectly healthy, but it is in far better shape than in recent memory.
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What's your most recent memory?
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Weather certainly plays a factor, too, as the 2008 game was one of the coldest in recent memory.
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The case of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1994 is the most notable in recent memory.
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The hire of one of the most admired press secretaries in recent memory is a coup for MSNBC.
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What's your most recent memory?
Synonyms
5
4.4
A time that people alive now can remember
Antonyms
How Recent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'memories from the recent past' is a direct, compositional combination of 'recent' (recently occurred) and 'memory' (recollection), so the overall sense is immediately derivable from the constituents. This adjective+noun pattern is common across languages, making the expression readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Recent memory is a simple picture: recent means 'near in time' and memory means 'what people remember'. So, recent memory refers to the near past that people still clearly remember.