Immature
/ɪməˈtjʊə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjOccurring before the proper time; untimely, premature (especially of death).
adjNot fully formed or developed; not grown.
Sentence Examples
My brother is an immature boy.
He was so immature, he couldn't resist the temptation.
CEFR Practice Quiz
His ____ behavior, like rude jokes, caused him to lose many friends.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The young puppy's ____ behavior was occasionally annoying, but he was always very cute.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French immature. Partially displaced unripe, from Old English unrīpe (“unripe, immature”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And thou also canst best account for the causes of her immature death […]."
— 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter CDLXXXI”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC:
"There are many genera and even families of Brachypylina for which immatures are not yet known, and thus numerous examples of adult convergence and misclassification remain to be revealed: such is the case with Hypozetes."
— 2001, DE Walter, H Proctor, RA Norton, Acarology: Proceedings of the 10th International Congress, →ISBN, page 51:
"While on a walk the next morning I found what looked like a patch of old growth habitat - perhaps somewhere the fires had missed - and to my astonishment saw a female Red-lored Whistler accompanied by an immature."
— 2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 240:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
His ____ behavior, like rude jokes, caused him to lose many friends.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The young puppy's ____ behavior was occasionally annoying, but he was always very cute.