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mature

/məˈt͡ʃʊ(ə)ɹ/
adjectiveverb

Mature is a six-letter English word worth 8 points in Scrabble; it means to develop fully, ripen, or bring something to completion.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Adjective 3 meanings

  1. Fully developed; grown up in terms of physical appearance, behaviour or thinking; ripe.

    “She is quite mature for her age.”

  2. Brought to a state of complete readiness.

    “a mature plan”

  3. Profound; careful.

    “The headmaster decided to expel the boy after a mature consideration.”

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To proceed toward maturity: full development or completion (either of concrete or of abstract things, e.g. plans, judgments, qualities).

  2. To attain maturity, to become mature or ripe.

  3. To bring (something) to maturity, full development, or completion.

  4. To make (something, e.g. fruit) ripe or mature.

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

From late Middle English mature, from Middle French mature, from Latin mātūrus. Doublet of maduro. Partially displaced ripe, from Old English rīpe (“ripe, mature”).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
adultadultishgrowndevelopgrowprogressripenage
Opposite
childishimmaturesuperficial

The adjective describes something that has reached full development or ripeness. As a verb, mature means to develop fully, or to bring something to that state. It also applies to abstract things: plans, judgments, and qualities can mature toward completion.

Mature at a glance

  • Mature has six letters, beginning with M and ending with E.
  • Its Scrabble face value is 8 points: M is worth 3, and the other five tiles are worth 1 each.
  • Nature and manure are its only one-letter neighbours.
  • Mature has no anagrams.

What does mature mean?

As an adjective, mature describes a person, plant, or thing that has reached a developed or ripe state. You can also call an idea or judgment mature when it shows development rather than being unfinished.

As a verb, mature can describe that process happening over time: fruit matures as it ripens, and a plan matures as it becomes more complete. The word can also be used transitively, as in bringing a quality or project to maturity. Mature ranks 4385th by word frequency, so you will meet it in ordinary prose far more than in rare word lists.

What is mature’s Scrabble score and rhyme pattern?

Mature scores 8 points before any board bonuses. The M supplies 3 points; A, T, U, R, and E add 1 each. That makes the opening M the tile to watch when you are weighing the play, not the more common one-point ending.

The final sound, “ure,” links mature with rhymes such as sure, future, nature, and measure. Nature is especially close in spelling too: it is one letter away from mature, while manure is the other one-letter neighbour.

A rhyme match does not guarantee that a word is playable. If a board-game play depends on a word being accepted, check the word list used by your game.

Rhymes with mature

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Questions people ask

Does mature have any anagrams?
Mature has no anagrams in this word list. Its six letters, A, E, M, R, T, and U, do not form another listed word using every tile exactly once.
Which words differ from mature by one letter?
Nature and manure each differ from mature by one letter. Nature changes the first letter, while manure changes the third; both keep the same six-letter length.
Can mature be used as a verb?
Yes, mature is a verb as well as an adjective. As a verb, it means to develop fully or to bring something to full development, ripeness, or completion.

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