PREMATURE Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

premature

adjective

ˌprē-mə-ˈchu̇r

Definition of premature

as in early

occurring before the usual or expected time his premature arrival at his own surprise party almost ruined everything

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 Burdi explained that strains involve varying degrees of muscle tearing and that a premature return to play could cause Judge’s strain to go from moderate to severe. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The campaign initially focused on 27 West and South Side neighborhoods where cardiovascular disease and premature mortality are concentrated alongside high socioeconomic stress. — Garth Walker, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026 If nobody can reconcile the transaction with the customer’s instructions or account for its full cost, expansion is premature. — Rishi Katdare, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026 The admittedly premature announcement comes as Anthropic seeks to attract more scientists to its lab and expand into areas like drug discovery. — Robert Hart, The Verge, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for premature

Recent Examples of Synonyms for premature

Adjective

Precision packed into 33 pounds The satellites use the NEMO spacecraft platform, which has supported 11 earlier GHGSat missions.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
And the latest archaeoacoustic techniques show that even the world’s earliest architects understood this.

— Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of early

Adjective

A lot has happened since Garnet Hills started business, including the untimely death of the founder couple in a 1985 plane crash and the sale of the family business to live shopping company QVC Group in 2017.

— Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Quavo sat down with Complex’s Idea Generation and talked about how Takeoff’s untimely death helped mend his fractured relationship with their childhood friend and fellow Migos groupmate.

— Angel Diaz, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of untimely

Adjective

Stubborn inflation, blowback from White House trade policies, and a formidable Democratic challenger in megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton have combined to turn ruby-red Kansas into an unexpected Senate battleground.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
Mandatory statewide caps on property taxes would tie the hands of local governments to deal with the rapid growth and address unexpected emergencies.

— Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of unexpected

Adjective

There’s a fascinating synchronicity between the current real-world anxiety and the film industry’s sudden interest in dense studies of the tech world’s dark underbelly.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Other symptoms include sudden high fever and chills, headaches, and pain in the abdomen, legs and arms, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of sudden

Adjective

The rookie’s performance called to mind what linebackers coach Frank Bush had said last week about his precocious pupil.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
Eddie saw a fiery, competitive streak in his younger brother at a precocious age.

— Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 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

Style

“Premature.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/premature. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of premature

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Luddite

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

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

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes