premature
Americanadjective
-
occurring, coming, or done too soon.
a premature announcement.
-
mature or ripe before the proper time.
noun
adjective
-
occurring or existing before the normal or expected time
-
impulsive or hasty
a premature judgment
-
(of an infant) weighing less than 2500 g (5 1/ 2 lbs) and usually born before the end of the full period of gestation
Other Word Forms
- prematurely adverb
- prematureness noun
- prematurity noun
- unpremature adjective
- unprematurely adverb
- unprematureness noun
Etymology
Origin of premature
From the Latin word praemātūrus, dating back to 1520–30. See pre-, mature
Explanation
Premature means "not yet ready." Something that is premature arrives early, like a premature baby born before her due date, or the soggy cake you took out of the oven prematurely. Premature is a simple word to break down. Pre means "early" or "before," and mature means "done" or "ready." If a decision is criticized as premature, it means that that decision was made too hastily, and probably would have been different if more time had been taken. If someone dies very young, you might say they died prematurely.
Vocabulary lists containing premature
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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The Catcher in the Rye
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50 Great Words from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
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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.
The stock-market rally of the past 10 days, based on hopes of imminent peace, seems to have been premature at best.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 12, 2026
Those who developed obesity between ages 17 and 29 had about a 70 percent higher risk of premature death compared with people who did not become obese before age 60.
From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2026
In an interview with Belly of the Beast, a Cuba-focused website, Jayapal described visiting a maternity hospital where they saw premature babies in incubators.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
Some studies show an association with heart disease and premature death, while others find only a modest link or no link to cardiovascular disease.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
“I know Mira raised all that money, but don’t you think it’s a bit premature to get takeout?”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
