premature

premature — adjective

1. coming, happening, or being decided before the right stage, when more time is st

1.形容詞C1
釋義

coming, happening, or being decided before the right stage, when more time is still needed.

例句

The coach called the party premature after only one goal.

premature + celebration or party

A premature decision cost the shop money before the sales numbers arrived.

premature decision = made before enough information

同義詞
  • early

    broader and often neutral; premature suggests a problem with timing

  • hasty

    stresses rushing, especially in decisions

  • untimely

    more formal; often used for deaths or endings

  • ill-timed

    focuses on bad timing in a particular situation

反義詞
  • timely

    arriving at a useful or suitable moment

  • well-timed

    chosen for exactly the right moment

用法筆記

Often used for decisions, announcements, celebrations, claims, or endings. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about timing in general, not specifically about a baby or birth before full term.

常見錯誤

❌The cake was premature.
✅The celebration was premature.
💡this sense usually describes actions, events, or judgments, not ordinary objects by themselves.
❌We made an early conclusion.
✅We made a premature conclusion.
💡'early' can be neutral, but 'premature' shows that something happened before the right time.

2. describing a baby or birth that comes before the pregnancy has reached full term

2.形容詞C1
釋義

describing a baby or birth that comes before the pregnancy has reached full term.

例句

Nurses placed the premature baby in a warm glass box.

collocation: premature baby

Mina went to hospital when premature labor began in week thirty-four.

collocation: premature labor

同義詞
  • preterm

    medical word commonly used by doctors and hospitals

  • early-born

    plain descriptive wording, but much less common than premature

反義詞
  • full-term

    born after the usual length of pregnancy

用法筆記

Usually used with baby, birth, labor, or delivery, and common in medical contexts. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is tied to pregnancy and birth, not to plans, decisions, or events in general.

常見錯誤

❌My sister is premature because she came early to dinner.
✅My sister arrived early for dinner.
💡this sense is only for babies, births, or labor before full term.
❌The baby was early.
✅The baby was premature.
💡in medical situations, 'premature' is the clearer word for a baby born before full term.