Dictionary.com

premature

[ pree-muh-choor, -toor, -tyoor, pree-muh-choor or, especially British, prem-uh-, prem-uh- ]
/ ˌpri məˈtʃʊər, -ˈtʊər, -ˈtyʊər, ˈpri məˌtʃʊər or, especially British, ˌprɛm ə-, ˈprɛm ə- /
Save This Word!

adjective
occurring, coming, or done too soon: a premature announcement.
mature or ripe before the proper time.
noun
a premature infant.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of premature

From the Latin word praemātūrus, dating back to 1520–30. See pre-, mature

OTHER WORDS FROM premature

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use premature in a sentence

  • Our next character is famous for prematurity of genius, and named John Lewis Candiac.

  • The season of female beauty precedes that of their reason, and from its prematurity soon decays.

    The History of Sumatra|William Marsden
  • His ideal was one of progress; but he came too soon, and paid for his prematurity with his life.

  • "What Phillip is so stormed up about is the prematurity of it all," he said to Coffin.

    The Coffin Cure|Alan Edward Nourse

British Dictionary definitions for premature

premature
/ (ˌprɛməˈtjʊə, ˈprɛməˌtjʊə) /

adjective
occurring or existing before the normal or expected time
impulsive or hastya 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

Derived forms of premature

prematurely, adverbprematureness or prematurity, noun

Word Origin for premature

C16: from Latin praemātūrus, very early, from prae in advance + mātūrus ripe
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
FEEDBACK