premature

adjective

ˌprē-mə-ˈchu̇r How to pronounce premature (audio)
Definition of prematurenext
as in early
occurring before the usual or expected time his premature arrival at his own surprise party almost ruined everything

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 premature Burning fossil fuels releases pollutants that form fine particles and ground-level ozone, increasing risks of heart and lung disease and premature death. — Akshaya Jha, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026 Maybe occasionally, but Google’s enthusiasm for Magic Pointer seems a bit premature. — ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026 Van celebrated winning the 125-pound title, but both fighters walked away from that night feeling everyone deserved more than the premature result. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 The governance and funding structure should be designed to survive a prolonged period of capacity building without imposing premature exit pressure. — Radu Magdin, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for premature
Recent Examples of Synonyms for premature
  1. early
  2. untimely
  3. unexpected
  4. sudden
  5. precocious
  6. inopportune
Adjective
  • Gray praised the producers and actors who helped bring the film to life and reflected on his early dreams of being a filmmaker.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The stage musical based on one of the biggest movies ever made in Connecticut finally makes it here on a national tour and an earlier tour was canceled.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of early
Adjective
  • According to state police, the incident is being investigated as an untimely death.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The abject terror of reproduction was personified by Lamashtu, demoness of the night, drinker of blood, eater of flesh, slayer of children, untimely opener of wombs, ravager of women.
    — Eleanor Johnson, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of untimely
Adjective
  • Keep scrolling to shop my favorite unexpected home finds starting at $100.
    — Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The decision by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI follows a raft of reports in recent months about AI agents behaving in unexpected ways, evading human guardrails or otherwise going rogue.
    — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of unexpected
Adjective
  • In many such cases, Pennington says, parents will want to give each child an equal inheritance to be fair, but also worry about how the struggling child will fare upon receiving a sudden inheritance.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The account provided directly to Fox News offered a more harrowing description of the sudden descent, with the passenger saying people screamed as overhead compartments opened and power aboard the aircraft went out.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of sudden
Adjective
  • Navigating the rocky road from precocious kid-commercial actor to an adult movie star isn’t easy, but Gisondo possesses a maturity and gravitas that belies his youthful appearance.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Tonally, the film is torn between wanting to be brutally bleak and offering some kind of hope for Murphy and his precocious, adorable daughter.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of precocious
Adjective
  • That makes this a particularly inopportune time for the Fed to start asking the market to take on additional supply of mortgages and Treasury notes if the Fed were to reduce the balance sheet.
    — Steve Liesman,Matt Peterson, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Stanford went 5 of 15 on third down and was hampered by a slew of inopportune penalties that Miami capitalized on.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of inopportune

Browse Nearby Words

premarital
premature
prematurely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Premature.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/premature. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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