Mature — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /mə-ˈchu̇r/ ma·ture

Meaning & Definition of Mature

Mature (adjective)

  1. having completed natural growth and development, ripe
  2. having undergone maturation
  3. having attained a final or desired state

Mature (verb)

  1. to bring to maturity or completion
  2. to become fully developed or ripe
  3. to become due

Mature (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. fully grown or developed

    "I like pears when they're still hard, before they're mature"

    similar: adult, full-blown, full-fledged, matured, ripe, ripened
    related: aged, aging, long-lived, old, older, golden, mellow
    opposite: adolescent, green, immature, juvenile, unripe, unripened, young, youngish, youthful
    near: blooming, blossoming, burgeoning, flourishing, flowering, undeveloped, unfinished, unfledged, unformed

  2. having reached the date at which payment is required

    "mature bonds"

    similar: due
    related: delinquent, outstanding, overdue, owed, owing, receivable, unpaid, unsettled, payable
    opposite: undue
    near: cleared, liquidated, paid (off or up), repaid, settled, prepaid

  3. relating to or typical of adults; displaying proper maturity

    "that wasn't a very mature response to my well-meaning criticism"

    similar: adult, grown-up
    opposite: adolescent, immature
    near: childish, infantile, kiddish

  4. dealing in or with explicitly sexual material

    "a mature talk show that is available only on pay-cable"

    similar: adult, pornographic, porny, X-rated
    related: hard-core, soft-core, bedroom, erotic, sexy, suggestive, bawdy, coarse, crude, dirty, filthy, foul, gross, indecent, lascivious, lewd, lustful, nasty, obscene, ribald, salacious, smutty, unprintable, vulgar, wanton, immodest, kinky, prurient, earthy, racy, salty, indecorous, unbecoming, debasing, perverted, profane, naughty, wicked
    opposite: clean, G-rated
    near: priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, straitlaced, Victorian, correct, decent, decorous, genteel, polite, proper, seemly

Mature (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to become mature

    "a young figure skater whose talent is still maturing"

    similar: age, develop, grow, grow up, progress, ripen
    related: mellow, soften, bloom, blossom, burgeon, flourish, flower, open, unfold, advance, evolve, get along, get on, gray
    near: decay, decline, degenerate, deteriorate, sink, worsen, droop, dry, fade, flag, sag, shrivel, wane, waste (away), weaken, wilt, wither, regress, retrogress, revert, backslide, lapse, return

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Mature

The most common words with a similar meaning to Mature:

adult, full-blown, full-fledged, matured, ripe, ripened, due, grown-up, pornographic, porny, X-rated, age, develop, grow, grow up, progress, ripen

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Mature

Words with the opposite meaning of Mature:

adolescent, green, immature, juvenile, unripe, unripened, young, youngish, youthful, undue, clean, G-rated

Related Words for Mature

aged, aging, long-lived, old, older, golden, mellow, delinquent, outstanding, overdue, owed, owing, receivable, unpaid, unsettled, payable, hard-core, soft-core, bedroom, erotic, sexy, suggestive, bawdy, coarse, crude, dirty, filthy, foul, gross, indecent

Near Antonyms of Mature

blooming, blossoming, burgeoning, flourishing, flowering, undeveloped, unfinished, unfledged, unformed, cleared, liquidated, paid (off or up), repaid, settled, prepaid, childish, infantile, kiddish, priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, straitlaced, Victorian, correct, decent, decorous, genteel, polite, proper

Word Forms of Mature

Inflections: maturer, maturest, matured, maturing

Derived words: maturely (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Mature

Middle English, from Latin maturus ripe; akin to Latin mane in the morning, manus good

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Mature

Words & Phrases Containing Mature

mature student, of mature years

Frequently Asked Questions about Mature

What does "Mature" mean?

"Mature" means having completed natural growth and development, ripe. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: having completed natural growth and development, ripe. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Mature"?

Other words for "Mature" include adult, full-blown, full-fledged, matured, ripe, ripened, due and grown-up. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Mature" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Mature"?

There are 84 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Mature". Common alternatives include adult, full-blown, full-fledged, matured, ripe, ripened, due, grown-up, pornographic and porny.

What is the opposite of "Mature"?

Antonyms of "Mature" include adolescent, green, immature, juvenile, unripe, unripened, young and youngish. Near antonyms include blooming, blossoming, burgeoning and flourishing.

How do you use "Mature" in a sentence?

Examples of "Mature" in a sentence: "I like pears when they're still hard, before they're mature"; "mature bonds"; "that wasn't a very mature response to my well-meaning criticism".

Is "Mature" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Mature" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Mature" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Mature" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Mature"?

"Mature" is pronounced /mə-ˈchu̇r/ and divided into syllables as ma·ture.