now

Now refers to the present moment—the point or brief interval in time experienced as this moment, separating the past from the future. It is a fundamental reference in everyday timekeeping, planning, and perception, and it is understood relative to the observer’s experience and clock.

In philosophy, now is a subject of debate. Presentism holds that only present events and objects exist, while eternalism argues that past, present, and future are real. In physics, the concept of a universal present is challenged by the theory of relativity, which shows that simultaneity is relative to observers in different frames of reference, complicating a single objective “now.”

Psychological and cognitive science perspectives describe now as a construct produced by the brain. Time perception is influenced by attention, expectations, emotion, and context, causing the felt duration of the present to vary. Practices such as mindfulness emphasize focusing awareness on the immediate experience of the moment, whereas memory and prediction continually shape how we experience now.

Etymologically, now comes from Old English nu, with roots in Proto-Germanic languages, and remains a common adverb signaling immediacy or a temporal point in discourse. In culture, the term now appears across literature, music, and media as a motif of immediacy, change, or action, and it is used as a title or branding element for various publications and programs, reflecting its association with current events and the present moment.