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
- immaturely adverb
- immatureness noun
- immaturity noun
Etymology
Origin of immature
First recorded in 1540–50, immature is from the Latin word immātūrus unripe, hence, untimely. See im- 2, mature
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.
The presence of one of our more talented humans, Ariana DeBose, is certainly a bonus, with Ms. DeBose playing the brilliant but oddly immature Lucy—Kay’s niece and Dorothy’s daughter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
Sticky buns feel immature once you have said korvapuusti.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
The result is a man who is emotionally immature, dishonest and unable to take responsibility.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026
Dendritic cell vaccines are created by collecting immature immune cells from a patient's blood and growing them in the laboratory alongside antigens taken from that patient's tumor.
From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2026
It shows you how immature he is, hanging out with a fifth grader.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
