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mature Definition

ma·ture (mə to̵or′, -c̸ho̵or′, -tyo̵or′)

adjective

    1. full-grown, as plants or animals
    2. ripe, as fruits
    3. fully developed, as a person, a mind, etc.
  2. fully or highly developed, perfected, worked out, considered, etc. a mature scheme
  3. of a state of full development a person of mature age
  4. due; payable: said of a note, bond, etc.
  5. Geol. having reached maximum development of topographical form due to erosion, weathering, etc.: said as of a coastline that is relatively stable

Etymology: ME < L maturus, seasonable, ripe, mature < IE base *ma-, good, in good time > L Matuta, goddess of dawn

transitive verb -·tured′, -·tur′·ing

  1. to bring to full growth or development, or to ripeness
  2. to develop or work out fully

intransitive verb

  1. to become fully grown, developed, or ripe
  2. to become due: said of a note, etc.

mature Related Forms
ma·ture′ly adverb ma·ture′·ness noun
mature Synonyms

mature

modif.

  1. Adult

    adult, full-grown, middle-aged, prime, grown, grown-up, of age, in full bloom, full-fledged, in one's prime, womanly, manly, matronly, older, developed, prepared, settled, sedate, experienced, seasoned, knowledgeable, sophisticated; see also experienced, matured, ripe 2.

    Antonyms juvenile, young*, immature.

  2. Ripe

    ready, seasoned, perfected; see mellow 1, ripe 1, 2.

  3. Considered

    thought about, reasoned, seasoned; see considered 1, thoughtful 1. See syn. study at ripe.

mature Synonyms

mature

v.

  1. To come to maturity

    grow up, become a man, become a woman, come of age, reach adulthood, become experienced, settle down, become full-blown, ripen into, ripen, reach perfection, become prime, attain majority, culminate, become wise, become perfected, grow skilled, fill out; see also age 1, develop 1.

  2. To grow

    ripen, mellow, evolve; see grow 2.

mature Law Definition

v

A debt that has become payable.
mature Usage Examples

Object

  • lover: Sitters are fully vetted, mature, responsible animal lovers.
  • cheese: This planned growth necessarily involves an increase in stocks of maturing cheese which is reflected in the working capital position.
  • beef: The traditional upland pastures on which the animals are grazed produce slowly matured very tasty beef.
  • woodland: At the bottom of the map Reeve's Hill Plantation is now Long Wood as the trees have grown to mature woodland.
  • tree: Ron Lewis-Smith explained that this new planting initiative will offer some semi matured trees to selected villages for improvements.
  • student: Q: What about mature students in their first year or those who live at home?

Infinitive complement

  • handle: Now I want to add that Timothy was mature enough to handle this.

Modifies a noun

  • tree: The mature trees will remain, with raised lawns being added beneath these to retain much of the green space.
  • entrant: For more mature entrants, training needs are assessed on an individual basis.
  • applicant: Q. I am a mature applicant, can I apply to any College?
  • woodland: It is bordered at the top by a narrow strip of mature oak woodland.
  • student: I am a mature student - how will I be assessed?
  • shrub: The garden is secluded and enclosed, mainly lawn with a variety of mature shrubs and a large deck.

Modifying Another Word

  • sexually: They become sexually mature at 3 years of age.
  • spiritually: Some of its members were spiritually mature, but others were only babes in Christ.
  • emotionally: In the future, it will be better for her to get married after the age of 28, when she is emotionally mature.

Preposition: in

  • cask: In the bonded warehouses of the distilleries, whiskey worth millions of pounds lies maturing in oak casks.
  • oak: After fermentation, the wine was blended and further matured in American oak prior to bottling.
  • cellar: Gruyère cheeses are matured in cellars and are regularly turned.
  • bottle: As Port wines matured in the bottle a straighter bottle that could rest on its side was developed.
mature Quotes

It may almost be a question whether such wisdom as many of us have in our mature years has not come from the dying out of the power of temptation, rather than as the results of thought and resolution.

—Trollope, Anthony

The imagination of a boy is healthy, and the mature imagination of a man is healthy; but there is a space of life between, in which the soul is in a ferment, the character undecided, the way of life uncertain, the ambition thick-sighted: thence proceeds mawkishness.

—Keats,John

Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.

—Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)

Browse dictionary entries near mature

  1. ‹ maturation
  2. ‹ maturate
  3. ‹ mattress
  4. ‹ mattoid
  5. ‹ mattock
  6. ‹ mattins
  7. ‹ matting
  8. ‹ Matthias
  9. ‹ Matthews, Gordon
  10. ‹ Matthew
  1. matured ›
  2. maturing ›
  3. maturity ›
  4. matutinal ›
  5. matzo ›
  6. matzo ball ›
  7. matzo meal ›
  8. MAU ›
  9. Mau Mau ›
  10. Mauchly, John ›