precocious
Americanadjective
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unusually advanced or mature in development, especially mental development.
a precocious child.
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prematurely developed, as the mind, faculties, etc.
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of or relating to premature development.
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Botany.
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flowering, fruiting, or ripening early, as plants or fruit.
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bearing blossoms before leaves, as plants.
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appearing before leaves, as flowers.
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adjective
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ahead in development, such as the mental development of a child
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botany (of plants, fruit, etc) flowering or ripening early
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of precocious
1640–50; Latin praecoci-, stem of praecox ( see precocity) + -ous
Explanation
That high school hoops phenom who plays like an NBA pro? The sixth grader who's already asking questions about organic chemistry? They're both precocious — meaning they're way beyond their years in skill or knowledge. When you look at the Latin roots of precocious, it all makes sense. When pre (meaning "before") joins coquere (meaning "to ripen"), you have something that is ripening prematurely. And in the case of precocious, you are usually describing young people who have some adult-like quality about them. Maybe it's their vast vocabulary, maybe it's their ease with calculus, or maybe it's just applying lipstick.
Vocabulary lists containing precocious
100 Top "SAT" Words
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100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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Hidden Figures
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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.
That Navarrette turned out to be a precocious movie watcher might be the result of her exposure to a wide spectrum of films.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Whether he minds it or not, the precocious 23-year-old is living in the spotlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
There, an ailing playwright named M lives with his wife, S—who is an actress—and their precocious daughter, Ruby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The connections that turned a precocious teen into the fallen ‘Nostradamus of AI.’
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
When I share things like that, people often say, “My, aren’t you precocious, Elizabeth.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
