maturity
Americannoun
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the state of being mature; ripeness.
The fruit will reach maturity in a few days.
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full development; perfected condition.
maturity of judgment; to bring a plan to maturity.
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Finance.
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the state of being due.
There is always the danger that if you have to sell your home before maturity of your mortgage, you won't net enough cash from the sale to repay the loan in full.
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The loan has reached its maturity and must be paid back in full.
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Usually maturities bonds and other investments having a fixed term.
Some investors prefer short-term maturities to avoid tying up their money for a long period.
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noun
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the state or quality of being mature; full development
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finance
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the date upon which a bill of exchange, bond, note, etc, becomes due for repayment
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the state of a bill, note, etc, when due
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Usage
What does maturity mean? Maturity is the state of having reached a stage of full or advanced development. Maturity is a noun form of mature, which is commonly used as an adjective generally meaning fully developed (as a verb, mature generally means to fully develop). If a person shows or has maturity, they are mature, meaning they act grown-up. When an animal has reached maturity, it has reached adulthood. When a fruit has reached maturity, it’s ripe. Maturity is also used in the context of finance to refer to the state of something being due for repayment, such as a bond. Example: Some of my students show maturity, but the rest of them act like preschoolers.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of maturity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English maturite, from Middle French maturite or directly from Latin mātūritāt-, stem of mātūritās “ripeness, full development”; see mature, -ity
Explanation
When something reaches its full level of development, it has achieved maturity. Easy enough when you're a perfectly ripe peach. Maturity in humans is not so easy to accomplish or achieve. Some people might be physically mature, which is to say that they are fully physically grown, but don't yet exhibit signs of emotional maturity — such as a willingness to accept responsibility, or maintain poise in serious situations — for a long time afterward.
Vocabulary lists containing maturity
"High School Football"
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 2
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 18
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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.
KPMG's ESG Assurance Maturity Index assessed the views of executives and board members across industries, regions and different firm sizes to measure companies preparedness.
From Reuters • Sep. 26, 2023
Maturity and authenticity should inoculate you from some of the traps and pitfalls of youth.
From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2022
Maturity is a slippery concept, especially in neuroscience.
From Slate • Nov. 27, 2022
Maturity turns out to be not such a bad thing for a show that has done some soul-searching since it was last seen onstage.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2021
Maturity, in so far as it is mere growth independent of training, is also largely a fixed and unmodifiable condition.
From Human Traits and their Social Significance by Edman, Irwin
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.
