lately

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "lately" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe something that has been happening recently. For example: "Lately, I've been noticing that the weather is getting hotter."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"We have lately seen an increase in the number of persons leaving Norway to take part in acts of war, attend training camps or join terrorist networks abroad," the Norwegian authorities said.

The New York Times

Q There has been lots of news lately about sites being hacked and people stealing information.

The Guardian - Tech

Her retirement is another step in the right (or, technically, left) direction for Minnesota's progressives, who are on something of a roll lately with the defeat of a voter ID law and the passage of marriage equality legislation.

The Guardian - Opinion

The tone of pop music has lately shifted toward self-actualization, and the art that captured our imaginations in 2014 showed people doing what they want, defining themselves how they want, and breaking free of societal rigidity.

The Guardian - Music

He has averaged three or four films a year since, but has become choosier lately.

The Guardian - Film

I've spent hours learning this lately, catapulted by search engines to the dank recesses of parenting forums that exist solely to imply I'm guilty of child abuse because I don't know the best sort of blanket to put in a pram yet.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Bernie has lately hit on the notion that F1 would be considerably enlivened if water were sprayed on the track at random moments during the race (I'm not sure, but does anyone else detect a Flashdance influence here?).

The Guardian - Sport

His feed has been all about travel lately, but you'll also find snaps of this Brazilian city.

The Guardian

(Those bastards at Cadbury have been torturing me lately with their ceaseless innovations, perhaps most deviously by inserting cheese biscuits – cheese biscuits – into their chocolate, with predictably sexual results).

The Guardian - Lifestyle

It may be considered unfashionable, given all that we have seen in the sector lately, to consider raising an E&P company target price, but here is a company doing the principal thing the independent E&P sector is there to do...find commercial hydrocarbon discoveries.

The Guardian - Business

But it also means a high seed who has had a lot of physical issues lately.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "lately" to describe events or trends that have occurred in the recent past, but not at a specific point in time. For specific moments, use "recently" or "just now".

Common error

Avoid using "lately" when you mean "later". "Lately" refers to something that happened recently, while "later" refers to something that will happen in the future.

Linguistic Context

The adverb "lately" modifies verbs or clauses, indicating that an action or state has occurred in the recent past. Ludwig shows numerous examples where it clarifies the timing of events, highlighting their recent nature, like “Lately, I’ve been wondering whether a little more nationalism might be just what the Welsh need”.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Formal & Business

15%

Science

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the adverb "lately" is a grammatically sound and frequently used term to denote actions or states occurring in the recent past. As Ludwig AI confirms, its primary function is to modify verbs or clauses, providing a temporal context. It's versatile enough for neutral register across news, business, and general conversation. While there are some sources with Encyclopedias, Wiki or Reference, those are not common and, ultimately, you must not confuse it with "later", which implies future actions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

recently

A direct synonym, indicating something happened not long ago.

of late

A slightly more formal alternative to "lately".

as of late

Similar to "of late", but can sometimes imply a negative connotation.

in recent times

Emphasizes the period of time being considered.

in the past few weeks

More specific, referring to a shorter time frame.

in recent months

Refers to a longer time frame than "in the past few weeks".

just now

Implies something happened immediately before the present moment.

in the current climate

Refers to trends, events and conditions that are present at this time.

in this day and age

Indicates modern trends or characteristics.

in the present era

Similar to “in this day and age”, but more high-flown.

FAQs

How can I use "lately" in a sentence?

"Lately" is used to describe actions or states that have occurred recently. For example, "I haven't been sleeping well "lately"" indicates a recent change in your sleep pattern.

What's the difference between "lately" and "recently"?

While similar, "lately" often suggests a trend or a series of events, while "recently" can refer to a single event. You might say, "Recently, I visited Paris", but "Lately, I've been enjoying French films".

What can I say instead of "lately"?

You can use alternatives like "recently", "of late", or "in recent times" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "more lately"?

While not grammatically incorrect, "more lately" is less common and often sounds awkward. Consider rephrasing using "more recently" or restructuring your sentence.