New - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT new /nu/ /nu/ IPA guide

Other forms: newest; newer

If something's new, it has never been seen or discovered or invented before. Anything can be new: a country, an idea, a product. If you spend half an hour watching TV, you'll see an incredible selection of new items being advertised.

There are lots of shades of meaning attached to new. For example, by its very nature something that's new is unfamiliar, and the two words are often used interchangeably. New can also mean something different from what has gone before — as in a new political strategy — or, as advertising would have you believe, something fresh and original, like that new and improved version of your favorite laundry detergent you just bought.

Definitions of new

adjective not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered “a new law” “new cars” “a new comet” “a new friend” “a new year” “the New World” synonyms: current occurring in or belonging to the present time fresh recently made, produced, or harvested modern belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages bran-new, brand-new, spic-and-span, spick-and-span conspicuously new fresh (of a cycle) beginning or occurring again hot, red-hot newest or most recent new-sprung, newborn having just or recently arisen or come into existence newfound newly discovered novel, refreshing pleasantly new or different parvenu, parvenue of or characteristic of a parvenu recent new radical, revolutionary markedly new or introducing radical change rising newly come into prominence sunrise of an industry or technology; new and developing untested, untried not yet proved or subjected to testing unused not yet put into use virgin being used or worked for the first time young being in its early stage see moresee less antonyms: old of long duration; not new noncurrent not current or belonging to the present time stale lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age nonmodern not modern; of or characteristic of an earlier time age-old, antique belonging to or lasting from times long ago antediluvian, antiquated, archaic so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period antique made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age auld a Scottish word hand-down, hand-me-down passed on from one person to another hoary, rusty ancient immemorial long past; beyond the limits of memory or tradition or recorded history long-ago belonging to time long gone longtime of long duration patched mended usually clumsily by covering a hole with a patch secondhand, used previously used or owned by another sunset of a declining industry or technology yellow, yellowed changed to a yellowish color by age past earlier than the present time; no longer current worn affected by wear; damaged by long use show more antonyms...
adverb very recently “grass new washed by the rain” synonyms: fresh, freshly, newly
adjective original and of a kind not seen before synonyms: fresh, novel original being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of
adjective having no previous example or precedent or parallel synonyms: unexampled unprecedented having no precedent; novel
adjective unfamiliar “new experiences” “experiences new to him” “errors of someone new to the job” synonyms: unaccustomed not habituated to; unfamiliar with
adjective (of a new kind or fashion) gratuitously new “she buys all these new-fangled machines and never uses them” synonyms: newfangled original being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of
adjective lacking training or experience “the new men were eager to fight” synonyms: raw inexperienced, inexperient lacking practical experience or training
adjective unaffected by use or exposure “it looks like new” synonyms: unweathered not worn by exposure to the weather see moresee less antonyms: worn affected by wear; damaged by long use old of long duration; not new aged at an advanced stage of erosion (pronounced as one syllable) attrited worn by rubbing or friction battered damaged especially by hard usage clapped out worn from age or heavy use and no longer able to operate (of cars or machines or people) creaky, decrepit, derelict, flea-bitten, run-down, woebegone worn and broken down by hard use dog-eared, eared worn or shabby from overuse or (of pages) from having corners turned down eroded, scoured worn away as by water or ice or wind frayed worn away or tattered along the edges mangey, mangy having many worn or threadbare spots in the nap moth-eaten, mothy worn or eaten away by (or as if by) moths played out worn out ragged, raggedy being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn raddled, worn-out used until no longer useful moth-eaten, raggedy, ratty, shabby, tatty showing signs of wear and tear scruffy, seedy shabby and untidy shopsoiled, shopworn worn or faded from being on display in a store tatterdemalion, tattered worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing threadbare having the nap worn away so that the threads show through thumbed (of pages) worn or soiled by thumb and fingers by frequent handling or turning vermiculate, worm-eaten, wormy infested with or damaged (as if eaten) by worms waterworn (of rocks especially) worn smooth by the action of water weather-beaten, weathered, weatherworn worn by exposure to the weather well-worn showing signs of much wear or use show more antonyms...
adjective (of crops) harvested at an early stage of development; before complete maturity “new potatoes” synonyms: young early being or occurring at an early stage of development
adjective other than the former one(s); different “my new car is four years old but has only 15,000 miles on it” “ready to take a new direction” synonyms: other not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

Pronunciation US /nu/ UK /nu/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘new'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family 2 million people are mastering new words. Master a word

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