mature
/mə'tjuə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Fully developed physically; having reached full natural growth: Describes a living organism that has completed its growth phase.
- Ripe and ready for consumption or use: Describes fruits, cheeses, wines, or other substances that have developed their full flavor or character.
- Characteristic of adulthood; sensible and wise: Describes a person, behavior, or plan that shows the careful thought, emotional stability, and responsibility associated with adulthood.
- Due for payment: Describes a financial obligation, like a bond or bill, that has reached its payment date.
Verb:
- To become fully grown or developed: To reach a state of physical or mental completeness.
- To cause something to become fully developed or ripe: To bring something to a state of readiness or perfection.
- To become due for payment: To reach the date when a financial debt must be repaid.
Examples of Usage
Adjective:
- The mature oak tree provided shade for the entire park.
- This is a mature cheese with a strong flavor.
- She showed a mature attitude in handling the difficult situation.
- The loan will become mature next month.
Verb:
- He matured into a fine leader. (intransitive)
- The experience helped mature her perspective. (transitive)
- These investment bonds will mature in ten years. (intransitive)
Advanced Usage
"To come to maturity": To reach a state of full development.
- The project finally came to maturity after years of work.
"Mature beyond one's years": To display wisdom or sensibility greater than expected for one's age.
- The young diplomat was mature beyond his years.
Variants and Related Words
Maturity (n): The state of being mature.
- Financial maturity is reached when the bond can be redeemed.
Maturation (n): The process of maturing.
- The maturation of the wine takes several years.
Premature (adj): Happening or done before the proper time; not mature.
- The baby was born premature.
Synonyms
- Adjective: Adult, grown-up, ripe, developed, seasoned, prudent.
- Verb: Ripen, develop, grow up, evolve, age.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Mature into: To develop into a particular form or character over time.
- Their friendship matured into a lifelong partnership.
Related Idioms
"Age before beauty": A humorous saying often used when yielding precedence, subtly referencing maturity (age).
- "You go first," he said, "age before beauty."
"The fruit of one's labors": The rewarding result of hard work, implying a process of development to maturity.
- After decades of research, she finally enjoyed the fruit of her labors.
Adjective
- (of birds) having developed feathers or plumage; often used in combination
- fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used
- ripe peaches
- full-bodied mature wines
- having reached full natural growth or development
- a mature cell
- fully considered and perfected
- mature plans
- characteristic of maturity
- mature for her age
Verb
- cause to ripen and discharge pus
- The oil suppurates the pustules
- grow old or older
- She aged gracefully
- we age every day--what a depressing thought!
- Young men senesce
- cause to ripen or develop fully
- The sun ripens the fruit
- Age matures a good wine
- become due for repayment
- These bonds mature in 2005
- develop and work out fully in one's mind
- I need to mature my thoughts
- develop and reach maturity; undergo maturation
- He matured fast
- The child grew fast