In recent days, the term has been used to describe a period of time that is relatively close to the present. The word 'LATELY' is often used as a synonym for this phrase, with six letters. Another word that can be used to describe this period of time is 'NEWLY, ' which also has five letters. Lastly, the word 'oflate' is another six-letter word that can be used to describe this phrase. All three words are commonly used to refer to a period of time that is close to the present.