premature

premature: premature, untimely, forward, advanced, precocious are comparable though rarely interchangeable when they mean unduly early in coming, happening, or developing.

Premature applies usually to something which takes place before its due or proper time

{
a premature birth
}

{
a premature announcement or comes into existence before it is fully grown or developed or ready for presentation
}

{
a premature baby
}

{
a premature conclusion
}

or to actions or persons that manifest overhaste or impatience

{
I have been a little premature, I perceive; I beg your pardon— Austen
}

Untimely usually means little more than unseasonable but when it is applied to something which comes or occurs in advance of its due or proper time, it approaches very close to premature in meaning; the term, however, applies not so often to what begins a life or outward existence before its proper time as to what ends or destroys a life, a season, or a growing or developing thing before it has run its normal, natural, or allotted course

{
untimely falling of fruit from a tree
}

{
the untimely death of the son and heir
}

{
the untimely frosts that brought summer's beauty to an end
}

{
whose harvest . . . perished by untimely blight— Brontë
}

Forward applies chiefly to young living things or to growing crops, but also sometimes to seasons, that show signs of progress beyond those that are normal or usual for things of its kind at the time in question

{
an unusually forward spring
}

{
a child very forward in mental development for his age
}

Advanced tends to supplant forward when by comparison with other persons, other growing things, or other seasons of the same kind or class the one so described is notably ahead of the others

{
the most advanced children in the school
}

{
conflict between the economic interests of the advanced and backward peoples— Hobson
}

Precocious basically implies an exceptional earliness in development (as in the germinating of seeds, the flowering of plants, the occurring of a process, or especially in the maturing of the mind)

{
inhibition of precocious germination of seeds— Chronica Botanica
}

{
a precocious youth bursting with ideas— Henry Miller
}

The term is also applied to qualities, conditions, or circumstances which properly belong to maturity but come or belong to one who is otherwise immature

{
his precocious dignities were hard for youth to support without arrogance— Buchan
}

{
Shaw is dramatically precocious, and poetically less than immature— T. S. Eliot
}

Analogous words: *immature, unmatured, unripe, unmellow: abortive, fruitless (see FUTILE): *precipitate, hasty, sudden, abrupt

Antonyms: matured

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Synonyms:

Precocious, too forward, too soon ripe / Unseasonable, too early, untimely, precipitate, hasty, ill-considered, sooner than intended, sooner than due, unmatured

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prématuré — prématuré, ée [ prematyre ] adj. • 1632; lat. præmaturus « mûr avant » 1 ♦ Qu il n est pas encore temps d entreprendre. Je crains que ce ne soit une démarche prématurée. Il est prématuré de... (cf. Il est trop tôt pour). Il serait prématuré d en… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Premature — Pre ma*ture , a. [L. praematurus; prae before + maturus ripe. See {Mature}.] 1. Mature or ripe before the proper time; as, the premature fruits of a hotbed. [1913 Webster] 2. Happening, arriving, existing, or performed before the proper or usual… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
prématuré — prématuré, ée (pré ma tu ré, rée) adj. 1° Qui mûrit avant le temps. Fruit prématuré. 2° Fig. En général, qui vient avant le temps. • Les choses prématurées perdent leur force et donnent du dégoût, SÉV. 416. • Ces éducations prématurées… … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
premature — I adjective ahead of time, anticipatory, before time, embryonic, green, hasty, ill considered, ill timed, immaturus, inchoate, inopportune, mistimed, overhasty, praematurus, precipitate, rash, raw, sooner than due, sooner than intended, too early … Law dictionary
premature — (adj.) 1520s, from L. praematurus early ripe (as fruit), too early, from prae before (see PRE (Cf. pre )) + maturus ripe, timely (see MATURE (Cf. mature) (v.)). Premature ejaculation is 1910, previously referred to in Latin as ejaculatio praecox … Etymology dictionary
premature — [adj1] earlier in occurrence than anticipated a bit previous, abortive, early on, embryonic, forward, green*, immature, incomplete, inopportune, overearly, oversoon, precipitate, predeveloped, previous, raw*, soon, unanticipated, undeveloped,… … New thesaurus
prematuré — Prematuré, [prematur]ée. adj. Il se dit proprement des fruits qui meurissent avant le temps ordinaire. Ces fruits sont prématurez. On dit fig. Un esprit prématuré, une sagesse prématurée, pour dire, Un esprit plus formé qu il ne sembleroit devoir … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
premature — In BrE this is pronounced prem ǝ tyuh ǝ or prem ǝ tyuh ǝ. In AmE the first syllable is often pronounced pree … Modern English usage
premature — ► ADJECTIVE 1) occurring or done before the proper time. 2) (of a baby) born before the end of the full term of gestation. DERIVATIVES prematurely adverb prematurity noun. ORIGIN Latin praematurus very early … English terms dictionary
premature — [prē΄mə toor′, prē΄məchoor΄, prē΄mətyoor′; ] Brit [ prem΄ətoor′, prem΄ə tyoor′] adj. [L praematurus: see PRE & MATURE] happening, done, arriving, or existing before the proper or usual time; too early; specif., born before the full term of… … English World dictionary

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