early 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of earlynext
1
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period early birds of the Jurassic period

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unexpected
occurring before the usual or expected time we had an early dinner so as not to miss the concert

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

early

2 of 2

adverb

ˈər-lē How to pronounce early (audio)
as in immediately
before the usual or expected time that year spring arrived early

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of early
Adjective
Scientists expect 2026 to be the second largest amount of sargassum recorded in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, noting that June alone saw 34 million metric tons, which was only 10% lower than the year-earlier period. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 Process and poetry One early decision Placek made was to move away from corporate positioning and toward linguistics, much to the chagrin of some of his more logical clients. — HubSpot, 31 July 2026
Adverb
Dixon had already covered that introduction earlier in the day. — Tom Campbell, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Two days earlier, Delhi police officers had descended on Jantar Mantar, the eighteenth-century astronomical observatory and frequent site of protests in the nation’s capital, where Wangchuk had been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28. — Jonathan Mingle, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for early
Recent Examples of Synonyms for early
  1. ancient
  2. unexpected
  3. immediately
  4. primitive
  5. premature
  6. prematurely
  7. prehistoric
  8. sudden
Adjective
  • The company’s Orick sawmill began operating in 1954 and processed ancient redwoods for 55 years before closing in October 2009.
    — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
  • The disaster also prompted the study of ancient floods as a way to gauge how common large flash floods are in specific areas — a field called paleoflood hydrology.
    — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 27 July 2026
Definition of ancient
Adjective
  • Before Graves was appointed in December 2022, Deputy Chief Joseph Mabin served as interim chief for several months following former Chief Rick Smith’s unexpected retirement.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • Your donation will help ease the financial burden of funeral expenses and other unexpected costs, allowing the Brown family to focus on healing and being together.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of unexpected
Adverb
  • Thaw the dough just until it can be unfolded, then immediately cut.
    — Torie Cox, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The result is a historic rise in the number of people missing court dates and being immediately ordered deported as the system struggles to keep up, new data shows.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of immediately
Adjective
  • Good roads are vital to any but the most primitive economies.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 July 2026
  • But the football was largely primitive and uncompetitive, as only 13 countries competed.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • Hugging Face, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral and Nvidia signed an open letter opposing premature restrictions on open-weight models, arguing that defenders need models with capabilities comparable to those attackers use.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Overall, Moore believes that concerns about a decline in AVGO's market share to 50% or its eventual replacement seem premature.
    — TipRanks.com, CNBC, 26 July 2026
Definition of premature
Adverb
  • Some critics and media outlets have prematurely concluded that the policy has failed.
    — Ravi Iyer, Time, 18 July 2026
  • One of the six Raptor engines on Starship’s upper stage also shut down prematurely on the last test flight.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
Definition of prematurely
Adjective
  • While the area was formerly covered by prehistoric lakes, today the water here mainly exists as seasonal wetlands, gurgling geysers, hot springs, and a hypersaline lake that’s saltier than the ocean.
    — Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026
  • The species has remained unchanged since prehistoric times, finding ways to survive while other species became extinct, according to the San Diego Zoo.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Definition of prehistoric
Adjective
  • All of a sudden, Ned seems to regain his memories of Peter just as the film ends.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • Conversely, a significant number of patients who experience sudden cardiac death likely did not have that abnormal measurement.
    — Paul Hsieh, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of sudden

Browse Nearby Words

earls
early
earmark
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Early.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/early. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on early

Nglish: Translation of early for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All