new

Formsnewer, newest

Pluralnews

Formsnews, newing, newed

1. 1
   of recent originadjective

   Recently made, created, born or come into existence; of recent origin.

   A new bridge opened last month.

   Our neighbors brought their new baby home from the hospital yesterday.

   Similarrecent, fresh, modern

   Oppositeold, ancient

2. 2
   adjective

   Unused and unworn, still in its original, pristine condition.

   I want a new phone, not a refurbished one.

   The sheets were new and still creased from the packet.

   UsageBrand new stresses that nothing has been used: a brand new phone.

   Similarpristine, mint

   Oppositeused, worn, old

3. 3
   adjective

   Additional or recently discovered.

   Each dig produces new finds.

   Is there anything new since yesterday?

   UsageGoes after anything, something and nothing: anything new, nothing new.

   Similarrecent

   Oppositeold, dated

4. 4
   adjective

   Recently arrived or appeared.

   There's a new family on our street.

   The new arrivals at the shelter were given blankets and hot soup.

   Oppositeestablished

   Note

   Newness as arrival: the new guy in town, the new kid at school, and, in Joseph C. Lincoln's 1913 picture of early June, the new grass just come up. Its opposite is established, which shows the social side of the sense. A newcomer stays new until the place has settled around them. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • Joseph C. Lincoln's Mr. Pratt's Patients was first published in 1913, as confirmed by its first-edition title page. upload.wikimedia.org
   • The opening chapter describes new grass flourishing in early June; the description belongs to the fictional narrator, Solomon Pratt. upload.wikimedia.org
5. 5
   not formeradjective

   Used to distinguish a present or later thing from its earlier counterpart.

   Her new job pays less than the old one.

   The new owners kept the old sign.

   Similarcurrent

   Oppositeformer, old

   Note

   Newness here is a matter of sequence, not age. A new car can be older than the one it replaced, and a family may still call a house their new one after five years there. The opposite is former rather than old, and that is how to tell this sense from the "unused" meaning: a secondhand car can still be your new car.

6. 6
   in place namesadjective

   Used to distinguish a place or thing established later and named after one that already exists.

   New Delhi stands beside Old Delhi.

   New Hampshire takes its name from Hampshire, a county on the south coast of England.

   Oppositeold

   Note

   A naming device more than a description: New Bond Street extends Bond Street, and the word stays in the name however old the place becomes. It is capitalized as part of the proper name, and its counterpart is old, which can mark the original when the two need telling apart. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • New Bond Street was established as a continuation of the earlier Bond Street, now called Old Bond Street. historicengland.org.uk
7. 7
   adjective

   Not known, seen, or experienced before, and so unfamiliar or strange.

   Everything about the city was new to her.

   Is this word new to you?

   UsageUse to for the person: an idea new to me may be old to the world.

   Similarunfamiliar, strange, novel

   Oppositefamiliar

8. 8
   coming periodadjective

   Of a period of time, next, about to begin, or recently begun.

   The new term starts in September.

   Prices will rise in the new financial year.

   Similarnext, coming, upcoming

   Oppositeold, last, previous

9. 9
   inexperiencedadjective

   Inexperienced or unaccustomed at a task, with at or to.

   She is new to teaching and finds it hard.

   We were all new once.

   UsageA verb after new to takes -ing: new to teaching, new to driving.

   Similargreen

   Oppositeexperienced, expert, accustomed

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