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:
"We're losing mature tree stock and that's tragic in a historic garden."
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Some will have been mature students sitting exams for the first time, but most were young people resitting papers.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The compound comes with a three-car garage, two ipe wood decks, several outdoor seating areas, and drought-resistant landscaping that abounds with leafy hedges and mature trees.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Companies that don’t invest now, won’t be ready to take advantage of it whenever it does ultimately mature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
He was about the size of a mature buck, with fur that contained all the colors of the rainbow.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
“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
Unfortunately, his maturer productions are lacking in the quality of human emotion which, however derived, pulsates in every line of the Poems and Ballads.
From Shelburne Essays, Third Series by Paul Elmer More
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
The concision of the design ... is in Epstein's maturest manner.
From Time Magazine Archive
In Dialogue With Death the Hungarian Arthur Koestler's clinical notes on the subject of life & death were perhaps the maturest writing of the year.
From Time Magazine Archive
C——, with the gravest, maturest, most thoughtful and balanced mind, and one of the happiest appetites I ever found in a boy of fourteen, singularly ingenuous and high-minded, a rare spirit.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 86, December, 1864 by Various
They also have a major role in building myelin as the brain matures.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
One way to make the most of different terms is a CD ladder: spreading your money across one-, two-, three-, four- and five-year CDs so one matures every year.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
In the meantime, shares remain sensitive to headlines and selling pressure as AI broadly matures.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
“As this correction matures, the transfer of supply from long-term holders to newer hands at discounted prices remains a necessary part of the bottoming process,” says the firm in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
As it matures, the stem slowly breaks up—shatters, in the jargon—letting the seed dribble to the ground.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The project is emblematic of the way digital twin technology has matured across the sector, said Evan Brown, a principal analyst in Gartner’s emerging technologies trends and invest practice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
"In his first year Seydou looked like a young deer that could run but hadn't really matured yet, grown into his body," adds Jones.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“The way this team has matured, it built every day,” said Rodri, the third-oldest starter on the team despite being just 30.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The researchers identified the cells they were searching for: so called immature neurons, which resemble young neurons that have not yet fully matured.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
But for girls, the more our bodies matured physically, the less easily we soared and flipped and twirled through the air.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Organs are growing, metabolism is taking shape, and the immune system is maturing.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
"The bigger concern would be if charges eventually reach small and informal merchants in less-developed districts, where merchant networks are still thin and adoption is still maturing."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
CD ladders allow you to buy 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year CDs, so that you have one maturing every year.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
With his impish attitude and energetic outlook, maturing on his own terms, he seems far off from any sort of valedictory phase.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Now I’m fifteen and must think about maturing into a Christian lady.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
