Meanings
comparative more premature · superlative most premature · alternative archaic præmature
- Occurring before a state of readiness or maturity has arrived.
a premature birth
2 more examples
premature reports of the singer's death
Secondly, technical development must have reached an advanced stage: communism in a premature state would only be generalized poverty.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 160 - Taking place earlier than anticipated, prepared for, or desired.
I was lost in reveries of death, and the idea of premature burial held continual possession of my brain.
1844, Edgar Allan Poe, The Premature Burial - informalSuffering from premature ejaculation.
plural prematures · alternative archaic præmature
- An infant born prematurely.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveborn after a gestation period of less than the normal time
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinpraemātūrus
- Englishpremature
From Latin praemātūrus, equivalent to pre- + mature. First use appears c. 1440 in a translation of Palladius's De Re Rustica.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian преждевре́менен, преждевре́менен
- преждевре́менен (preždevrémenen)occurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- преждевре́менен (preždevrémenen)taking place earlier than anticipated
Catalan prematur, prematur
- prematuroccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- prematurtaking place earlier than anticipated
Chinese Mandarin 過早的 /过早的, 先期的
- 過早的 /过早的 (guòzǎo de)occurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- 先期的 (xiānqī de)occurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- 過早的 /过早的 (guòzǎo de)taking place earlier than anticipated
- 先期的 (xiānqī de)taking place earlier than anticipated
Czech předčasný, předčasný
- předčasnýoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- předčasnýtaking place earlier than anticipated
Dutch prematuur, voortijdig
- prematuuroccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- voortijdigoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- voorbarigtaking place earlier than anticipated
- prematuurtaking place earlier than anticipated
Finnish ennenaikainen, ennenaikainen
- ennenaikainenoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- ennenaikainentaking place earlier than anticipated
French prématuré, prématuré
- prématuréoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- prématurétaking place earlier than anticipated
German frühreif, vorzeitig
- frühreifoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- vorzeitigtaking place earlier than anticipated
- verfrühttaking place earlier than anticipated
Hebrew טרם לבגרות
- טרם לבגרות (térem l'bagrút)occurring before a state of readiness or maturity
Indonesian prematur
- prematuroccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
Irish réamhaibí, anabaí
- réamhaibíoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- anabaíoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- roimh amtaking place earlier than anticipated
Italian prematuro
- prematurooccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
Latin praecox, praecoquus
- praecoxoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- praecoquusoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
Polish przedwczesny
- przedwczesnyoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
Portuguese prematuro
- prematurooccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
Romanian prematur
- prematuroccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
Russian преждевре́менный, преждевре́менный
- преждевре́менный (preždevrémennyj)occurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- преждевре́менный (preždevrémennyj)taking place earlier than anticipated
Slovak predčasný, predčasný
- predčasnýoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- predčasnýtaking place earlier than anticipated
Spanish prematuro, prematuro
- prematurooccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- prematurotaking place earlier than anticipated
Ukrainian передча́сний, завча́сний
- передча́сний (peredčásnyj)occurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- завча́сний (zavčásnyj)occurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- доча́сний (dočásnyj)occurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- передча́сний (peredčásnyj)taking place earlier than anticipated
Vietnamese yểu, non
- yểuoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
- nonoccurring before a state of readiness or maturity
Cite this entry
premature. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/premature
“premature.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/premature. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “premature,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/premature.
Source: premature on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.