adjective
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not fully grown or developed
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deficient in maturity; lacking wisdom, insight, emotional stability, etc
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geography a less common term for youthful
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of immature
First recorded in 1540–50, immature is from the Latin word immātūrus unripe, hence, untimely. See im- 2, mature
Explanation
Use the adjective immature to describe something that is not fully grown: “Elizabeth rescued an immature sparrow that had fallen from its nest during the storm.” When used in a general sense, immature describes something in an early stage of development, such as an immature fruit tree or an immature political system. When applied to people, however, immature is often used to describe someone who behaves in a childish way. So if your 42-year-old brother spends the entire holiday weekend playing video games and then throws a temper tantrum when you ask him to help with the dishes, the word you’re looking for to describe him is probably immature.
Vocabulary lists containing immature
List 5
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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Made You Look: Synonyms for "Immature"
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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.
I’ll read on the Kindle — I’m reading “Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2025
Immature and irresponsible fathers – the kind seen in popular shows like "The Simpsons," "Home Improvement" and "Married … With Children" – were more commonplace.
From Salon • Feb. 11, 2022
Crist has also canceled the remaining dates in his ongoing Immature Thoughts stand-up tour.
From Slate • Nov. 8, 2019
Singer Kelton Kessee of Immature and of IMX is 37.
From Washington Times • Dec. 26, 2017
Immature timber will have a sale value, lessening the term of investment.
From Practical Forestry in the Pacific Northwest Protecting Existing Forests and Growing New Ones, from the Standpoint of the Public and That of the Lumberman, with an Outline of Technical Methods by Allen, Edward Tyson
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.
