mature

1. adjective

1)

a mature woman

Syn:

adult, grown-up, grown, fully grown, full-grown, of age, fully developed, in one's prime, middle-aged

Ant:

adolescent

2)

he's very mature for his age

Syn:

sensible, responsible, adult, levelheaded, reliable, dependable; wise, discriminating, shrewd, sophisticated

Ant:

childish

3)

mature cheese

Syn:

ripe, ripened, mellow; ready to eat/drink

Ant:

fresh, unripe

4)

on mature reflection, he decided not to go

Syn:

careful, thorough, deep, considered

Ant:

impulsive, unthinking

2. verb

1)

kittens mature when they are about a year old

Syn:

be fully grown, be full-grown; come of age, reach adulthood, reach maturity

2)

he's matured since he left home

Syn:

grow up, become more sensible, become more adult; blossom

3)

leave the cheese to mature

Syn:

ripen, mellow; age

4)

their friendship didn't have time to mature

Syn:

develop, grow, evolve, bloom, blossom, flourish, thrive

••

mature, age, develop, mellow, ripen

Most of us would prefer to mature rather than simply age. Mature implies gaining wisdom, experience, or sophistication as well as adulthood; when applied to other living things, it indicates fullness of growth and readiness for normal functioning (a mature crop of strawberries). To age, on the other hand, is to undergo the changes that result from the passage of time, often with an emphasis on the negative or destructive changes that accompany growing old (the tragedy aged him five years). Develop is like mature in that it means to undergo a series of positive changes to attain perfection or effectiveness, but it can refer to a part as well as a whole organism (the kitten's eyesight had begun to develop at three weeks). Ripen is a less formal word meaning to mature, but it usually applies to fruit (the apples ripened in the sun). Mellow suggests the tempering or moderation of harshness that comes with time or experience. With its connotations of warmth, mildness, and sweetness, it is a more positive word than mature or age (to mellow as one gets older).