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:
One key objection was the mature tone of the narrative, in which the child protagonist is directly confronted and endangered by the evils derived from fascist ideologies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
But Mr. Sorkin has never been mature and nuanced before, and he’s not about to start; self-righteous declaiming is what suits him, now as ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Morningstar defines ultrashort bond funds as those that “invest primarily in high-quality U.S. bonds that mature within one year.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Elliot Anderson: Anderson has been excellent throughout this international break and produced another mature performance.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
“Good,” she said, “then you’re mature enough to stay after school for a week.”
From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli
“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
His conversation with his son and myself above referred to, on Uses and Trusts, exemplified the fact that he had not forgotten, in his maturer what he had learned in his younger years.
Expect big, gut-busting laughs from the set tailored mainly for only the maturest of gift receivers.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 26, 2021
King Lear contains half a dozen roles stamped with Shakespeare's maturest genius.
From Time Magazine Archive
There is a double hazard: the part demands the maturest art, must convey the most dewy fragrance.
From Time Magazine Archive
Composer Brahms's two sonatas for clarinet and piano belong to his last, maturest period.
From Time Magazine Archive
It expresses, in clear style, his maturest conclusions.
From Döderlein's Hand-book of Latin Synonymes by Ludwig Döderlein
When you buy a bond, you’re lending money to the issuer who promises to pay you interest and return the principal when the bond matures on a set date.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
As the system matures, that environment develops into a gas-poor debris disk.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
“As the market matures, investors are becoming more precise about how that exposure is structured and which risks they actually want to take.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 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
“As this generation of creators has grown up, the topics they’re covering—fertility, caregiving, getting older—have matured right alongside them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
They warned him that an armed struggle was an extremely grave undertaking and they questioned whether the liberation movement had matured sufficiently to justify such an endeavor.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Specific reserves are set aside for commercial loans as soon as there is any hint of delinquency or an inability to renew maturing loans.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026
In a fund, maturing bonds roll into newer ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Both Mayfield and Driscoll discussed how the ultrashort investing style gives them opportunities to buy longer-term bonds that are maturing in the near term.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Arun Kumar, a co-leader of the industrial products group for consulting firm AlixPartners, said automation is rapidly maturing for equipment at construction and mining sites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
For me there were none of the gradations between public and private society so normal to a maturing child.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
