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PlainSpell

mature

UK /məˈtjʊə/adjective, verb

mature is spelled M-A-T-U-R-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, mature means “Fully developed; grown up in terms of physical appearance, behaviour or thinking; ripe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in mature?

Letters6: M-A-T-U-R-E
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing19 times per million words; the 4,444th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is mature?

Mature appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce mature?

  • UK /məˈtjʊə/
  • British /mət͡ʃoː/
  • British /mət͡ʃɵː/

Mature has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mature.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-AnotherFriendlyHuman-mature.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with mature?

5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as mature from its last stressed vowel (/ʊə/, British pronunciation):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of mature

  • more mature comparative
  • most mature superlative
  • matures present, singular, he/she/it
  • maturing participle, present
  • matured participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does mature mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

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

    She is quite mature for her age.

  2. 2

    Brought to a state of complete readiness.

    a mature plan

  3. 3

    Profound; careful.

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

  4. 4

    obsoleteCome to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.

  5. 5

    Suitable for adults only, due to sexual themes, violence, etc.

    mature content

verb

  1. 1

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

  2. 2

    To attain maturity, to become mature or ripe.

  3. 3

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

  4. 4

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

  5. 5

    To proceed toward or become mature or full-grown, either physically or psychologically; to gain experience or wisdom with age.

  6. 6

    To make (someone) mature.

  7. 7

    To reach the date when payment is due.

    When the bond matures, the full face value is payable to its bearer.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate mature?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of mature: M.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Mature in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchmûr, mature (fully developed), mûre (profound; careful), mûrir, arriver à maturité, s'affiner (to become mature; to ripen)
Germanreif, gereift (fully developed), reiflich (profound; careful), reifen (to become mature; to ripen), ausgereift (brought to a state of complete readiness), (nur) für Erwachsene (suitable for adults only)
Portuguesemaduro (fully developed), amadurecer, madurar (to become mature; to ripen)
Spanishmaduro, curado (fully developed), madurar (to become mature; to ripen), vencer (to reach the date when payment is due)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does mature come from?

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

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after mature