maturity

maturity — noun

1. The ability to act in a sensible, calm, and responsible way, especially during d

1.nounB2
Definition

The ability to act in a sensible, calm, and responsible way, especially during difficult or stressful situations.

Example

Romi showed great maturity by apologising to her team after the argument.

show + maturity + by + gerund for manner

When the team leader criticised Vivek's proposal, his calm, thoughtful response showed real maturity.

maturity shown by calm response to criticism

Common collocations
  • emotional maturity
  • personal maturity
  • show maturity
  • display maturity
  • lack maturity
  • demonstrate maturity
  • act with maturity
Synonyms
  • wisdom

    implies deep understanding gained through experience, not just sensible behaviour

  • responsibility

    focuses on being accountable for actions rather than emotional maturity

  • sensible behaviour

    more specific to practical decision-making; narrower than emotional maturity

Antonyms
  • immaturity

    the direct opposite — behaving in a childish or impulsive way

  • foolishness

    lack of good judgement, which contrasts with the wisdom aspect of maturity

Grammar Patterns

show + maturity

maturity + in + noun phrase

maturity + to + infinitive

Usage Note

Frequently used in personal development and workplace contexts. Often contrasted with childishness or impulsiveness. Emotional maturity does not necessarily come with age — a young person can show great maturity, and an adult can lack it.

Common Mistakes

He showed a lot of maturity by crying during the movie.
He showed a lot of maturity by staying calm during the crisis.
maturity in this sense implies emotional control, not emotional expressiveness.

2. A highly developed, refined, or sophisticated state of something such as a techn

2.nounB2
Definition

A highly developed, refined, or sophisticated state of something such as a technology, art form, design, or creative work.

Example

Smartphone design has reached a remarkable maturity in the last few years.

reach + maturity for describing development

Gita's paintings show a maturity of style that is unusual for such a young artist.

maturity of + noun for specific domain

Common collocations
  • artistic maturity
  • technical maturity
  • design maturity
  • reach maturity
  • achieve maturity
  • maturity of style
  • maturity of thought
Synonyms
  • sophistication

    emphasises complexity and refinement more than simple advancement

  • refinement

    suggests polishing and perfecting, whereas maturity includes natural development

  • ripeness

    more metaphorical and less common in modern usage; works well for ideas and plans

Antonyms
  • primitiveness

    an early, undeveloped stage

  • immaturity

    works here too — an immature design is one still being developed

Grammar Patterns

reach + maturity

maturity + of + noun

a maturity + in + noun

Usage Note

Used for non-living things — systems, technologies, creative works, or ideas. Describes a state that has been reached after gradual improvement or refinement. Not used for people in this sense.

Common Mistakes

The artist reached maturity at age twelve.
The artist's style reached maturity after years of experimentation.
for people, use sense 1 (emotional) or sense 3 (physical); this sense is for the work or the style, not the person.

3. The stage in the life of a person, animal, or plant when it has finished growing

3.nounB1
Definition

The stage in the life of a person, animal, or plant when it has finished growing physically and is fully developed.

Example

Most large dog breeds do not reach physical maturity until about two years old.

reach + full + physical + maturity for age milestone

The cherry trees in the garden have reached maturity and now produce fruit every spring.

Common collocations
  • physical maturity
  • sexual maturity
  • full maturity
  • reach maturity
  • at maturity
  • slow to maturity
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • childhood

    the period before physical maturity

  • infancy

    the earliest stage of growth

  • youth

    the period before full physical development

Grammar Patterns

reach + maturity

at + maturity

physical + maturity

Usage Note

Used for all living things — humans, animals, and plants. For humans, physical maturity usually happens during the teenage years, but emotional maturity (sense 1) develops later and at different rates for different people.

Common Mistakes

The puppy reached maturity at three months old.
The puppy reached maturity at around one year old.
different species reach physical maturity at very different ages; check typical growth timelines for the animal in question.

4. The point at which a financial product, such as a bond or insurance policy, comp

4.nounB2
Definition

The point at which a financial product, such as a bond or insurance policy, completes its term and the investor can collect the full value.

Example

Christopher plans to use his savings bond money when it reaches maturity next year.

reach + maturity for financial products

The insurance policy will pay the full amount at maturity or upon the policyholder's death.

Common collocations
  • bond maturity
  • loan maturity
  • policy maturity
  • maturity date
  • reach maturity
  • at maturity
  • upon maturity
  • maturity value
Synonyms
  • due date

    broader term; used for bills, payments, and assignments, not just investments

  • expiration

    focuses on the end of validity; maturity implies a payout event

  • redemption date

    more specific — the exact date when the issuer pays back the principal

Antonyms
  • purchase date

    the start date of the investment, opposite of maturity date

  • issue date

    when the bond or policy was first created

Grammar Patterns

reach + maturity

at + maturity

maturity + date

on/upon + maturity

Usage Note

Always used in financial contexts. Common with instruments like bonds, insurance policies, certificates of deposit (CDs), and savings plans. Not used for loans in the same way — a loan 'matures' but the payment direction is reversed (the borrower pays the lender).

Common Mistakes

The bank will pay me interest when my loan reaches maturity.
The bond issuer will pay me the principal when the bond reaches maturity.
for a loan at maturity, the borrower (you) pays the lender, not the other way around.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'maturity' (sense 1) refers to the ability to behave sensibly and calmly, the three synonyms cover overlapping but distinct ideas. 'Adulthood' is a legal and biological category — you can be an adult without having any emotional maturity. 'Sophistication' implies worldly knowledge, refined taste, or complex understanding; it carries a social or intellectual flavour that 'maturity' lacks. 'Readiness' suggests being prepared or equipped for something specific (e.g., 'readiness for marriage'), whereas maturity is a general personal quality. In practice: a 16-year-old can show remarkable maturity but is not an adult; a well-travelled businessperson might have sophistication but lack emotional maturity during a crisis.

adulthood ↗sophisticationreadiness ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • reach maturity
  • come to maturity
  • achieve maturity
  • act with maturity
  • lack of maturity
  • grow to maturity
  • in maturity

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'maturity' comes from Latin 'maturitas' meaning ripeness or timeliness, derived from 'maturus' (ripe, timely, early). It passed into English through Old French 'maturité' during the Middle English period. The original sense of ripeness — for fruit or grain ready to be harvested — later expanded to describe humans reaching full development, and then figurative uses for ideas, plans, and financial obligations.