precocious Hear it!

precocious Definition

pre·co·cious (prē kō′s̸həs, pri-)

adjective

  1. developed or matured to a point beyond that which is normal for the age a precocious child
  2. of or showing premature development

Etymology: < L praecox < praecoquere, to boil beforehand < prae-, before (see pre-) + coquere, to mature, cook

precocious Related Forms
pre·co′·ciously adverb pre·co′·cious·ness noun or pre·coc′·ity--käs′ə tē
precocious Synonyms

precocious

modif.

gifted, bright, advanced, developed, forward, presumptuous; see also intelligent 1, mature 1.

precocious Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • puberty: The initial diagnosis of precocious puberty hit us hard, feelings of guilt, " why did we not do anything earlier?
  • talent: Then we have the precocious talent of Stuart Green.
  • genius: Origen, the precocious genius born in 185 called it the'Ship of Jesus ' wherein the world is saved.
  • learner: The scene would seem to be set for addressing the needs of precocious young learners.
  • reader: What happens to precocious readers ' performance by the age of eleven?
  • son: The Cheeky Monkey, named after her precocious son, Connor, carries unique items that resolve problems.

Modifying Another Word

  • very: I was a very precocious child and started worrying about things like where all the water had come from for the Flood.
  • sexually: The appearance of her husband's sexually precocious Vietnamese love-child is nothing compared with the antics of their own children.
  • too: Was that a difficult balance, ensuring, as well, that they didn't become too precocious?
  • extremely: Extremely precocious, he won all the academy prizes.
  • intellectually: He may be intellectually precocious yet emotionally stunted and amoral.
  • somewhat: She is known for being somewhat precocious ( what 17 year old isn't?