maturity
Americannoun
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maturities
plural
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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.
See Examples For:
For this filmmaking couple, reaching maturity as artists forged in the complex context of a modern colony hinges on acknowledging their limitations and still persevering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Interest-rate strategists at TD Securities wrote in an October 2025 report that the advance of stablecoins could “influence Treasury’s debt management decisions, leading to a shorter weighted average maturity of issuance.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
What appears to be appendicitis turns out to be severe constipation, a public announcement I’m sure his schoolmates will handle with grace and maturity.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The grandchildren must take secondary financial classes and pass with a C or better to have access to a small percentage of the funds after reaching maturity.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, boy. I’d expect more maturity from someone who’s passed the Maze Trials.”
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
Unlike in the Treasury market, municipal bond investors are rewarded with higher yields by extending maturities.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
Short maturities aren’t better because they pay more.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
The new buyback targets nominal coupon securities with maturities of 10 years or longer and will run from Sept. 9 through Nov. 4.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
CD&R eventually agreed to a plan that reduced Multi-Color’s debt by $3.8 billion and extended maturities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The crack football players, however, have many maturities.
From Scottish Football Reminiscences and Sketches by David Drummond Bone
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.
