Lately has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
Adverb
Adverb
1
in the recent past
"he was in Paris recently"
"lately the rules have been enforced"
"as late as yesterday she was fine"
"feeling better of late"
"the spelling was first affected, but latterly the meaning also"
2
Recently; not long ago; of late.
"She has been working overtime lately to finish her project before the deadline."
In plain English: Lately means something that has been happening recently, usually within the last few days or weeks up to now.
"I haven't seen my best friend lately because she moved to a different city."
Example Sentences
"I haven't seen my best friend lately because she moved to a different city."
adv
"She has been working extra hours lately to finish her project on time."
adv
"I haven't seen my best friend in a while because he has been busy with school lately."
adv
"The weather has been unusually warm lately compared to this time of year."
adv
Origin
Lately comes from the Middle English combination of "late" and "-ly," meaning it originally referred to something done slowly or with delay. The word traveled into modern usage to describe recent times rather than maintaining its original sense of slowness.