premature
gb/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ/ us/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ/
B2
English
~ 9400
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
happening or done too early
Happening or done before the right or best time; too early.
Usage pattern:
[something] is premature; premature [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "premature" when they only mean "early" without any negative judgment. "Premature" almost always suggests that something happened too soon and that this is a problem. For example, "I arrived premature" is incorrect; say "I arrived early."
Synonyms
early (Neutral about whether it is a problem; does not always suggest that something is too soon or wrong.)
|
untimely (Often sounds more formal or literary and can suggest bad timing or misfortune.)
Antonyms
timely (Suggests that something happens at a good or suitable time, not too early or too late.)
|
well-timed (Emphasizes that the timing is especially good or appropriate.)
Collocations
premature announcement
|premature end
|premature conclusion
|premature decision
|premature withdrawal
|premature release
Themes
time
|evaluation
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- His resignation would be premature before the investigation is complete.
- Calling the project a failure now is premature; we still have six months left.
- They accused the media of making a premature announcement about the merger.
- The judge said it would be premature to comment on the outcome of the case.
- Any celebration at this stage would be premature and could look arrogant.
Learner examples
- It is premature to make a decision today.
- Their celebration was premature because the team still had to play one more game.
- The company made a premature announcement about the new product.
- Some experts say it is premature to open the border.
- I think your conclusion is premature; we need more facts.
adjective
B2
property
2
born before full pregnancy term
Describes a baby who is born too early, before the normal time in pregnancy.
Usage pattern:
premature [baby/birth/labor]; [someone] was born premature
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "an early baby" instead of "a premature baby." In medical and everyday English, "premature baby" or "preterm baby" are the natural phrases. Note that both "born premature" and "born prematurely" are used; "born premature" is very common in speech.
Synonyms
preterm (A more medical or technical word used mainly in healthcare contexts.)
Antonyms
full-term (Describes a baby or pregnancy that has reached the normal length before birth.)
Collocations
premature baby
|premature birth
|born premature
|premature labor
|extremely premature
|slightly premature
Themes
health
|family
|medicine
|body
Examples
- Their son was a premature baby and spent three weeks in the neonatal unit.
- She went into premature labor at 32 weeks of pregnancy.
- Thanks to modern medicine, many premature infants now grow up healthy.
- The clinic specializes in caring for extremely premature newborns.
- He was born premature but has had no long‑term health problems.
Learner examples
- The doctor said the baby was premature.
- Their baby was born premature at eight months.
- Premature babies often need special care.
- She had a premature birth and stayed in the hospital longer.
- They worry because their first child was premature.
adjective
C1
property
3
happening too early in life
Describes things like death or ageing that happen too early in a person’s life, before most people expect them.
Usage pattern:
premature [death/ageing/retirement]; [someone] suffers premature [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "early death" when they mean a medically or socially recognized problem, where "premature death" is the normal collocation in serious or official contexts. "Early aging" is also less natural than "premature aging."
Synonyms
untimely (Common with "death"; sounds slightly formal and emphasizes bad luck or tragedy.)
Antonyms
ripe old age (Not an adjective but a common phrase meaning living to be very old, the opposite of dying prematurely.)
Collocations
premature death
|premature aging
|premature retirement
|premature hair loss
|premature menopause
Themes
health
|life stages
|time
Examples
- The charity works to prevent premature death from heart disease.
- Stress and smoking can lead to premature aging of the skin.
- He took premature retirement after a serious back injury.
- Doctors are studying the causes of premature hair loss in young men.
- A healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of premature death.
Learner examples
- The report says many people die a premature death because of unhealthy food.
- Sun can cause premature aging of your skin.
- He was forced into premature retirement after the accident.
- She worries about premature hair loss.
- They want to stop premature deaths from smoking.
adjective
C1
property
4
bodily process occurring too early
Used mainly in medical or sexual contexts to say that a body action, especially ejaculation, happens too soon.
Usage pattern:
premature [ejaculation/contraction]; suffer from premature [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners may overgeneralize this sense and try to use "premature" for any quick body movement. It is mainly used in fixed medical phrases like "premature ejaculation" or "premature ventricular contractions." For general quick actions, use words like "sudden" or "quick" instead.
Synonyms
early-onset (Used of diseases or conditions that appear earlier than usual in life, but not for single acts like ejaculation.)
Antonyms
delayed (In medical contexts, can describe a process that happens later than expected, the opposite timing problem.)
Collocations
premature ejaculation
|premature contractions
|premature ventricular contractions
|suffer from premature ejaculation
Themes
health
|medicine
|body
Examples
- The patient reported problems with premature ejaculation.
- Premature ventricular contractions are usually harmless but can feel alarming.
- Therapy can help some men who experience premature ejaculation.
- The monitor detected frequent premature contractions during labor.
- He was embarrassed to talk to his doctor about premature ejaculation.
Learner examples
- He went to the doctor because of premature ejaculation.
- Some heart problems include premature beats.
- The nurse explained that the pain was from premature contractions.
- The clinic offers treatment for premature ejaculation.
- Premature ejaculation can cause stress in a relationship.
Grammar
Dictionary form
premature
IPA
GB/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ/
US/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ/
Syllables & stress
pre - ma - ture (3 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (ture)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: premature
Word family
Expressions
born premature
1/bˈɔɹn pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ/
fixed phrase
to be born too early
Used to say that someone came into the world as a baby earlier than the normal time in pregnancy.
Examples
- He was born premature and spent a month in hospital.
- Both of her twins were born premature but are now healthy.
premature aging
1/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ ˈeɪd͡ʒɪŋ/
fixed phrase
aging or looking old too soon
When a person’s body or skin starts to look or become old too early.
Examples
- Too much sun exposure can cause premature aging of the skin.
- Doctors warned him that smoking would lead to premature aging.
premature baby
1/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ bˈeɪbi/
fixed phrase
a baby born too early
A baby who is born too early, before the normal time in pregnancy.
Examples
- The hospital has a special unit for premature babies.
- Their premature baby weighed less than two kilograms at birth.
premature birth
1/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ bˈɚθ/
fixed phrase
birth before full pregnancy term
The birth of a baby that happens too early, before the normal end of pregnancy.
Examples
- Smoking increases the risk of premature birth.
- The study looked at causes of premature birth in low‑income countries.
premature death
1/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ dˈɛθ/
fixed phrase
death occurring too early in life
Death that happens too early in a person’s life, before most people would expect them to die.
Examples
- The vaccine could prevent thousands of premature deaths each year.
- Many premature deaths are linked to poor diet and lack of exercise.
premature optimization
1/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ ɑptɪmɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
optimizing performance too early
In programming and engineering, working to make something faster or more efficient too early, before you really know where the problems are.
Examples
- The team was warned not to spend time on premature optimization.
- Premature optimization can make code harder to maintain.
premature retirement
1/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ ɹɪtˈaɪɚmənt/
fixed phrase
retiring earlier than expected
When someone stops working and leaves their job earlier than the normal or planned age.
Examples
- Health problems forced him into premature retirement.
- The company is offering packages to encourage premature retirement.
premature ejaculation
1/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ id͡ʒˌækjulˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
ejaculation happening too soon
A sexual problem in which a man ejaculates too soon during sex, before he or his partner wants.
Examples
- Premature ejaculation is a common sexual concern for men.
- The clinic offers counseling and medication for premature ejaculation.
premature ejaculation
2/pɹˌimət͡ʃˈʊɹ id͡ʒˌækjulˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
ejaculation happening too early
A sexual problem where a man ejaculates sooner than he or his partner wants during sex.
Examples
- The doctor reassured him that premature ejaculation is very common and can often be treated.
- Stress and relationship problems can sometimes make premature ejaculation worse.
- He read an article about ways to manage premature ejaculation naturally.