fresh
Newly produced or obtained; recent.
Word facts
Definition of Fresh
Not dried, frozen, or spoiled.
Example sentences
He followed the fresh hoofprints to find the deer.
After taking a beating in the boxing ring, the left side of his face looked like fresh meat.
Using Fresh well
A closer look at how fresh is used — meaning in plain English, how close synonyms differ, and examples at different levels.
Newly made, recently obtained, or feeling clean and full of energy.
Use 'fresh' for food that hasn't spoiled, ideas or starts that are new, and air, feelings, or appearances that are clean and invigorating. It fits casual and descriptive writing well.
Common in food and cooking, weather, product copy, and talk about new beginnings.
In informal speech 'fresh' can also mean cheeky or disrespectful ('Don't get fresh with me'), which is unrelated to the 'new/clean' sense — context makes it clear.
- new
- broader and plainer — recently made or obtained, without the sense of clean or lively
- crisp
- sensory — fresh with a firm, sharp, clean quality (crisp air, crisp lettuce)
- recent
- purely about time — happening lately, with none of the vitality
- novel
- formal — new in an original, not-seen-before way, applied to ideas
- invigorating
- stronger for the 'refreshing' sense — actively giving energy
- stale
- opposite for food and ideas — old, dry, or no longer interesting
- stagnant
- for air or water — still and gone off from lack of movement
- tired
- figurative opposite — worn-out, overused, lacking freshness
- Beginner We bought fresh bread this morning.
- In writing After a week off, she came back to the project with fresh eyes and a clearer plan.
- Advanced The essay offered a fresh angle on a tired debate, reframing the whole question rather than answering it.
Fresh food, fresh air, fresh start — all share the sense of just-arrived and full of life.
Synonyms for Fresh
Antonyms for Fresh
Related words
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Words that rhyme with Fresh
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FAQ
Questions people ask
What does fresh mean?
Newly produced or obtained; recent. It is an adjective.
How many syllables does fresh have?
There is 1 syllable in fresh — it is spoken as one beat: fresh.
What part of speech is fresh?
Fresh works as an adjective. As a verb, it describes an action or state.
What are synonyms for fresh?
You can often swap fresh for impudent, good, sweet, crisp, though each carries a slightly different shade of meaning.
How do you use fresh in a sentence?
Example: "He followed the fresh hoofprints to find the deer."