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Early
/ˈɜː.li/
A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.
📖 Definitions of "Early"
- 1
A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.
- 1
At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.
"at eleven, we went for an early lunch; she began reading at an early age; his mother suffered an early death"
- 2
Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.
"The early guests sipped their punch and avoided each other's eyes."
- 3
Near the start or beginning.
"Early results showed their winning 245 out of 300 seats in parliament. The main opponent locked up only 31 seats."
- 4
Having begun to occur; in its early stages.
"early cancer"
- 1
At a time before expected; sooner than usual.
"We finished the project an hour sooner than scheduled, so we left early."
- 2
Soon; in good time; seasonably.
🔄 Synonyms of "Early"
30 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| crudenoun | In a natural, untreated state. |
| archaicnoun | Of or characterized by antiquity; old-fashioned, quaint, antiquated. |
| inchoateverb | Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature. |
| primitivenoun | Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first. |
| precocious | Characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity. |
| incipientnoun | In an initial stage; beginning, starting, coming into existence. |
| oldnoun | Of an object, concept, relationship, etc., having existed for a relatively long period of time. |
| primeval | Primary; original. |
| immaturenoun | Childish in behavior; juvenile. |
| primordialnoun | First, earliest or original. |
| primalnoun | Of greatest importance; primary. |
| newnoun | Recently made, or created. |
| othernoun | See other (determiner) below. |
| formernoun | Previous. |
| babynoun | A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered. |
| futurenoun | The time ahead; those moments yet to be experienced. |
| rude | Lacking in refinement or civility; bad-mannered; discourteous. |
| untimely | At an inopportune time. |
| primaeval | Dated spelling of primeval. |
| matutinal | Of, occurring in, or relating to the morning, especially the early morning upon waking up. |
| youngnoun | In the early part of growth or life; born not long ago. |
| prematurenoun | Occurring before a state of readiness or maturity has arrived. |
| embryonic | (embryology) Of or relating to an embryo. |
| weenoun | (UK, colloquial) To urinate. |
| betimes | (dated) In good season or time; early, especially in the morning; seasonably. |
↔️ Antonyms of "Early"
Words with the opposite meaning.
💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Early"
Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| prematurenoun | Occurring before a state of readiness or maturity has arrived. |
| immaturenoun | Childish in behavior; juvenile. |
| previousnoun | (not comparable) Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order. |
| beforehandnoun | At an earlier or preceding time. |
| futurenoun | The time ahead; those moments yet to be experienced. |
| formernoun | Previous. |
| pastnoun | The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future. |
| protonoun | Prototypical; preceding the proper beginning of something. |
| precocious | Characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity. |
| earlyish | Somewhat early |
| early on | At an early stage. |
| betimes | (dated) In good season or time; early, especially in the morning; seasonably. |
| newnoun | Recently made, or created. |
| inchoateverb | Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature. |
| incipientnoun | In an initial stage; beginning, starting, coming into existence. |
| othernoun | See other (determiner) below. |
| beginningnoun | (uncountable) The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states. |
| primordialnoun | First, earliest or original. |
| primaeval | Dated spelling of primeval. |
| aboriginalnoun | Living in a land before colonization by foreigners. |
⚡ Words Strongly Associated with "Early"
These words statistically appear in the same text as "early" (Google Books Ngrams).
🎨 Adjectives for "Early"
Popular adjectives used to describe this word in books.
🏷️ Nouns for "Early"
Common nouns this word is used to describe.
📝 Common Phrases with "Early"
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