- 1(of a child or young person) behaving in a sensible way, like an adult Jane is very mature for her age. a mature and sensible attitude opposite immature Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, become, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry See related entries: Youth fully grown
- 2(of a person, a tree, a bird or an animal) fully grown and developed sexually mature a mature oak/eagle/elephant opposite immature Synonymsoldelderly aged long-lived matureThese words all describe somebody/something that has lived for a long time or that usually lives for a long time.old having lived for a long time; no longer young:She’s getting old—she’s 75 next year.elderly (rather formal) used as a polite word for ‘old’:She is very busy caring for two elderly relatives.aged (formal) very old:Having aged relatives to stay in your house can be quite stressful.long-lived having a long life; lasting for a long time:Everyone in my family is exceptionally long-lived.mature used as a polite or humorous way of saying that somebody is no longer young:clothes for the mature womanPatterns a(n) old/elderly/aged/long-lived/mature man/woman a(n) old/elderly/aged/mature gentleman/lady/couple Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, become, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry See related entries: Middle age wine/cheese
- 3developed over a period of time to produce a strong, rich flavour See related entries: Taste of food no longer young
- 4used as a polite or humorous way of saying that somebody is no longer young clothes for the mature woman a man of mature years work of art
- 5created late in an artist’s life and showing great understanding and skill insurance policy
- 6(business) ready to be paid Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin maturus ‘timely, ripe’; perhaps related to matins.Extra examples She tries to look mature and sophisticated. He shows a mature and sensible attitude. He’s a man of mature years. The shop specializes in clothes for the mature woman. a mature oak/eagle/elephantIdioms
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BrE BrE//məˈtʃʊə(r)//; NAmE NAmE//məˈtʃʊr//; BrE BrE//məˈtjʊə(r)//; NAmE NAmE//məˈtʊr//
maturer is occasionally used instead of more mature Middle age, Youth, Taste of food(formal) after thinking about something carefully and for a long time
Check pronunciation: mature
