premature
Americanadjective
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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
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 means it may be premature to describe these Games as the "cleanest".
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Last June, the South Coast Air Quality Management District received more than 20,000 comments opposing a pair of clean air rules that would have prevented 2,500 premature deaths and 10,000 new cases of asthma.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Until the underlying biology of so-called cured patients is better understood, they say, it’s premature, and perhaps even irresponsible, to use the term.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
The Italian Competition Authority said it is investigating beauty brands Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics over potential rule breaches related to the premature use of adult cosmetics by children and adolescents.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
But only nine months after Tommy was born, Luke arrived premature.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
