| / English Dictionary |
EARLY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected forms: earlier , earliest
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
At or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
Example:
early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties
Classified under:
Similar:
aboriginal; primaeval; primal; primeval; primordial (having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state)
advance; beforehand (being ahead of time or need)
archaean; archean (of or relating to the earliest known rocks formed during the Precambrian Eon)
archaeozoic; archeozoic (of or belonging to earlier of two divisions of the Precambrian era)
azoic (before the appearance of life)
earlier; earliest ((comparative and superlative of 'early') more early than; most early)
earlyish (being somewhat early)
premature; untimely (uncommonly early or before the expected time)
premature; previous (too soon or too hasty)
proterozoic (formed in the later of two divisions of the Precambrian era)
proto (indicating the first or earliest or original)
wee (very early)
Also:
first (preceding all others in time or space or degree)
Attribute:
timing (the time when something happens)
Antonym:
late (being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time)
middle (between an earlier and a later period of time)
Derivation:
earliness (quality of coming early or earlier in time)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Being or occurring at an early stage of development
Example:
an early computer
Classified under:
Similar:
archaic; primitive (little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type)
new; young ((of crops) harvested at an early stage of development; before complete maturity)
crude; primitive; rude (belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness)
embryonic; embryotic (in an early stage of development)
inchoate; incipient (only partly in existence; imperfectly formed)
precocious (appearing or developing early)
Antonym:
late (at or toward an end or late period or stage of development)
Derivation:
earliness (quality of coming early or earlier in time)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Of an early stage in the development of a language or literature
Example:
Early Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476 to 1700
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
Old (of a very early stage in development)
Domain category:
linguistics (the scientific study of language)
Antonym:
late (of a later stage in the development of a language or literature; used especially of dead languages)
middle (of a stage in the development of a language or literature between earlier and later stages)
Derivation:
earliness (quality of coming early or earlier in time)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Very young
Example:
at an early age
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
immature; young ((used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Belonging to the distant past
Example:
in other times
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
past (earlier than the present time; no longer current)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Expected in the near future
Example:
look for an early end to the negotiations
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
future (yet to be or coming)
II. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Before the usual time or the time expected
Example:
the house was completed ahead of time
Synonyms:
ahead of time; early; too soon
Classified under:
Antonym:
late (later than usual or than expected)
Sense 2
Meaning:
In good time
Example:
he awoke betimes that morning
Synonyms:
betimes; early
Classified under:
Sense 3
Meaning:
During an early stage
Example:
early on in her career
Synonyms:
early; early on
Classified under:
Adverbs
Context examples:
She is always an early riser.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
An apparent clue was at once obtained, since a boy and a young man were reported to have been seen leaving a neighbouring station by an early train.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Mr. Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
Early next morning, however, Keesh strode into the village.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
Sail had been made in the early watches, so that the Ghost was racing along under everything except the two topsails and the flying jib.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
Then I tell you what, young Copperfield, said Steerforth, you shall tell 'em to me. I can't get to sleep very early at night, and I generally wake rather early in the morning.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
We were fortunate enough to catch an early train at Waterloo, and in a little under an hour we found ourselves among the fir-woods and the heather of Woking.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The rest of the dogs were in like condition; but Perrault, to make up lost time, pushed them late and early.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
Smartphones and other personal electronic devices could, in regions where they are in widespread use, function as early warning systems for large earthquakes, according to newly reported research.
(Crowdsourced Smartphone Data Could Give Advance Notice for People in Quake Zones, JPL)
Signs and symptoms usually appear early in life and vary from mild to life threatening.
(Methylmalonic Acidemia, NCI Thesaurus)
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