early

1 of 2

adverb

ear·​ly ˈər-lē 

earlier; earliest

1

a

: near the beginning of a period of time

awoke early in the morning

b

: near the beginning of a course, process, or series

early in his senatorial career

2

a

: before the usual or expected time

the train arrived early

b

archaic : soon

c

: sooner than related forms

these apples bear early

early

2 of 2

adjective

earlier; earliest

1

a

: of, relating to, or occurring near the beginning of a period of time, a development, or a series

in the early evening

the early symptoms of the disease

b(1)

: distant in past time

(2)

: primitive

early tools

2

a

: occurring before the usual or expected time

an early arrival

b

: occurring in the near future

at your earliest convenience

c

: maturing or producing sooner than related forms

an early peach

earliness noun

Synonyms of early

Adverb

• immediately
• prematurely
• promptly

Adjective

• ancient
• primitive
• prehistoric
• primal

Examples of early in a Sentence

Adverb

Early in his career he moved to the city.

a word first recorded early in the 17th century

They were trailing by a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The package should be arriving early next week.

She arrived early to help with the preparations.

I got up early to finish packing.

Adjective

the early symptoms of the disease

The early part of the book is better than the later part.

We had an early spring this year.

We're early. The show doesn't start for half an hour.

I've always been an early riser.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

One year after scoring her first-ever Golden Globe nod, the singer-actress once again earned a nomination for her performance as Glinda in the Wicked films following the premiere of the sequel earlier this year. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 Dec. 2025

Netflix wasn’t any kind of all-powerful monopoly, the executive argued at that time, and had suffered its own subscriber losses a couple of years earlier, according to people familiar with the matter. —Hadriana Lowenkron, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025

Adjective

She and her lover, Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) — who left her best friend, Glinda (Ariana Grande), at their wedding and has been turned into straw thanks to an earlier protective spell — are then seen walking into the sunset away from Oz. —Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025

However, visibilities may continue to drop to one quarter mile or less later tonight into early Monday morning over the Sandhills and Coastal Plain. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English erly, from Old English ǣrlīce, from ǣr early, soon — more at ere

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing early

• at/from an early age
• bright and early
• call it an early night
• drive (someone) to an early grave
• drove him to an early grave
• early bird
• early day
• early days (yet)
• early in life
• early/late in the game
• early on
• get/make an early start
• make an early night of it

Rhymes for early

• burley
• burly
• curly
• girlie
• girly
• hurly
• pearly
• surly

Kids Definition

early

1 of 2 adverb

ear·​ly ˈər-lē 

earlier; earliest

1

: near the beginning of a period of time or of a process or series

woke up early

2

: before the usual or expected time

arrived early

early

2 of 2 adjective

earlier; earliest

1

a

: of, relating to, or occurring near the beginning of a period of time, a development, or a series

in the early evening

b

: primitive

early art forms

2

a

: occurring before the usual or expected time

had an early winter

b

: maturing or producing sooner than related forms

an early peach

earliness noun

Biographical Definition

Early

biographical name

Ear·​ly ˈər-lē 

Ju*bal ˈjü-bəl  Anderson 1816–1894 American Confederate general