Lately means in the recent past or during a period of time leading up to now. When someone asks “What have you been doing lately?” they want to know about the past few days or weeks, not last year or when you were five years old.

The word describes a fuzzy window of recent time. If you say “I've been reading a lot lately,” you might mean this week, this month, or perhaps the past few months. The exact timeframe depends on context. For something that changes quickly, like the weather, lately might mean the past few days. For something that changes slowly, like a hobby or interest, lately could stretch back several months.

You'll often hear lately in conversations about patterns or changes: “She's been arriving early to class lately” or “The cafeteria food has been better lately.” The word suggests a shift from how things were before, even if that shift is small. It focuses on the present moment while acknowledging that things change over time.