mature
Americanadjective
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complete in natural growth or development, as plant and animal forms.
a mature rose bush.
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ripe, as fruit, or fully aged, as cheese or wine.
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fully developed in body or mind, as a person.
She was a mature woman who took her family responsibilities seriously.
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noting or pertaining to an adult who is middle-aged or older (used euphemistically).
discrimination against mature applicants.
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pertaining to or characteristic of full development.
a mature appearance; fruit with a mature softness.
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completed, perfected, or elaborated in full by the mind.
mature plans.
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(of an industry, technology, market, etc.) no longer developing or expanding; having little or no potential for further growth or expansion; exhausted or saturated.
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intended for or restricted to adults, especially by reason of explicit sexual content or the inclusion of violence or obscene language.
mature movies.
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composed of adults, considered as being less susceptible than minors to explicit sexual content, violence, or obscene language, as of a film or stage performance.
for mature audiences only.
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Finance. having reached the limit of its time; having become payable or due.
a mature bond.
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Medicine/Medical.
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having attained definitive form or function, as by maturation of an epithelium from a basal layer.
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having attained the end stage of a normal or abnormal biological process.
a mature boil.
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Geology. (of a landscape) exhibiting the stage of maximum topographical diversity, as in the cycle of erosion of a land surface.
verb (used with object)
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matures,
present (3rd person singular)
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matured,
past participle, past
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maturing
present participle
adjective
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relatively advanced physically, mentally, emotionally, etc; grown-up
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(of plans, theories, etc) fully considered; perfected
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due or payable
a mature debenture
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biology
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fully developed or differentiated
a mature cell
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fully grown; adult
a mature animal
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(of fruit, wine, cheese, etc) ripe or fully aged
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(of a river valley or land surface) in the middle stage of the cycle of erosion, characterized by meanders, maximum relief, etc See also youthful old
verb
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to make or become mature
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(intr) (of notes, bonds, etc) to become due for payment or repayment
Usage
What does mature mean? If a person is mature, they act grown-up. If an animal is mature, it has reached adulthood. If a fruit is mature, it’s ripe. If a game or movie is intended for a mature audience, it means it’s for adults because it’s inappropriate for kids. Mature has many meanings in addition to the common ones above. It is most commonly used as an adjective, but it can also be a verb meaning to become mature or to make mature. Example: Some of my students are very mature and responsible, but the rest of them act like preschoolers.
Synonym Usage
See ripe.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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maturementnoun
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maturenessnoun
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maturernoun
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nonmaturenessnoun
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overmaturenessnoun
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semimaturenessnoun
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half-maturedadjective
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nonmatureadjective
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overmatureadjective
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self-maturedadjective
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semimatureadjective
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unmatureadjective
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unmaturedadjective
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unmaturingadjective
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well-maturedadjective
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maturelyadverb
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nonmaturelyadverb
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overmaturelyadverb
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semimaturelyadverb
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unmaturelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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maturesimple
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maturessimple
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have maturedperfect
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has maturedperfect
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am maturingprogressive
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are maturingprogressive
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is maturingprogressive
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have been maturingperfect progressive
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has been maturingperfect progressive
Past
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maturedsimple
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had maturedperfect
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was maturingprogressive
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were maturingprogressive
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had been maturingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mature
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin mātūrus “ripe, timely, early”; akin to manes, matutinal
Explanation
Someone who is mature acts grown up, like an adult. However, when one sister says to another, "That's so mature," she's usually using the word sarcastically, because her sister has done something very immature, like sticking out her tongue. The adjective mature doesn't only describe advancing age, although the residents of a senior citizens' home could definitely be considered mature. Anything that is fully developed, like an aged cheese or bottle of wine, can also be called mature. The word can also refer to something that is only appropriate for people who are considered legal adults, like the movie that is for "mature audiences only."
Vocabulary lists containing mature
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Bonds that mature in 20 to 30 years could offer competitive returns if equity market returns cool.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Plus, if a bond is going to mature in less than a couple of years, that adds another layer of insulation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
As planetary systems mature and the flow of material onto the star declines, the jets weaken and the escaping gas becomes increasingly atomic.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
He apologized for his role in the conversation, saying he “was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Like they’re so mature and all-knowing, and I’m some kind of half-formed fetus.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
“What I’ve told everybody is, ‘I’m a late maturer.’
From Golf Digest ● Apr. 20, 2020
"I came back to Scotland a lot maturer than when I left because I realised it was not quite the same up here," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2015
While the diction is sometimes childlike, even in her maturer poems, their "direct line" to sharp, unmediated experience guarantees them against affectation, and the reader warms to their sensuousness and apparent candour.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 19, 2010
She's maturer and obviously her game has improved.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 21, 2010
Perhaps if Beaumont had lived, the two might have advanced to maturer and worthier achievement, but Fletcher's work alone rather displays the superficialities and artificialities of the collaboration.
From Tragedy by Ashley H. Thorndike
Expect big, gut-busting laughs from the set tailored mainly for only the maturest of gift receivers.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 26, 2021
There is a double hazard: the part demands the maturest art, must convey the most dewy fragrance.
From Time Magazine Archive
He also wrote the maturest poems of his life, possibly the finest that have ever been written about war.
From Time Magazine Archive
Composer Brahms's two sonatas for clarinet and piano belong to his last, maturest period.
From Time Magazine Archive
The disciple's maturest manhood is only the perfection of his childhood.
From George Müller of Bristol And His Witness to a Prayer-Hearing God by Arthur T. (Arthur Tappan) Pierson
As its shale resource matures, U.S. oil production is likely to peak in the early 2030s, with remaining wells becoming more expensive to drill, according to a recent analysis from Enverus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
A 10-year bond can be thought of as two five-year bonds, one maturing in five years plus another that starts when the old one matures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
So it will be no fun to watch the price of your bond decline, but if you wait until it matures, you will be paid the face value of the bond.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Regulators have signalled that platforms will be expected to meet higher standards as the industry matures, particularly when political or economic events are involved.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
I am not a conservative, but one matures and regards some of the views of one’s youth as undeveloped and callow.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
But the singer said he wanted “Dosis” to be different — he wanted it to show not only that he, as a person, has matured, but also that his sound has evolved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
You’re supposed to have matured into the kind of person who wants the broccoli.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
It’s distilled and matured in the Canadian province of Manitoba, but then shipped in large containers to bottling facilities in the U.S. for distribution to American customers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Researchers in the Food Microbial Sciences Unit at the University of Reading tracked the microbial and biochemical changes that occurred as three locally made Oxfordshire cheeses matured.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
In second grade, Robert Caseman and his ilk matured a bit.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
“Seasonally, there is less cash coming into the market from bonds maturing, but supply is pretty robust.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The simplest is to look at what has happened to bonds maturing soon compared with those maturing in many years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
It has also raised corporate borrowing costs and made refinancing maturing U.S. debt more expensive.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Spacious, chilly and cloaked in an earthy scent, they hold hundreds of oak barrels and several towering steel tanks full of maturing wine.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Instead of returning to Rome with the sudden fortune, which had been his dream maturing in misery, José Arcadio converted the house into a decadent paradise.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
