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Synonyms

precocious

American  
[pri-koh-shuhs] / prɪˈkoʊ ʃəs /

adjective

  1. unusually advanced or mature in development, especially mental development.

    a precocious child.

  2. prematurely developed, as the mind, faculties, etc.

  3. of or relating to premature development.

  4. Botany.

    1. flowering, fruiting, or ripening early, as plants or fruit.

    2. bearing blossoms before leaves, as plants.

    3. appearing before leaves, as flowers.

precocious British  
/ prɪˈkɒsɪtɪ, prɪˈkəʊʃəs /

adjective

  1. ahead in development, such as the mental development of a child

  2. botany (of plants, fruit, etc) flowering or ripening early

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
precocious Scientific  
/ prĭ-kō′shəs /

  1. Relating to or having flowers that blossom before the leaves emerge. Some species of magnolias are precocious.

Other Word Forms

  • precociously adverb
  • precociousness noun
  • unprecocious adjective
  • unprecociously adverb
  • unprecociousness noun

Etymology

Origin of precocious

1640–50; Latin praecoci-, stem of praecox ( precocity ) + -ous

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.

This has meant the show has spent more time with the very relatable Dunk and his precocious charge Egg.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

A precocious talent who burst on the scene in 2006, Kim was the spark-plug of the 2008 US Ryder Cup team that beat Europe at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

No one finished out 2025 talking about Disney bastardizing everyone’s favorite precocious blue alien, but “Materialists” was still driving conversations and reactions well through the end of the year.

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2026

Douglas Century’s “Crash of the Heavens” brings to life the headstrong, charismatic heroine who was both a fearless warrior and a precocious writer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

The insight was precocious, anticipating as it did the distinction between history as experienced and history as remembered, most famously depicted in Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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.