early meaning and definition

EARLY adjective

Definition of early (adjective)

1. at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
   • "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"
   • antonym: middle
2. being or occurring at an early stage of development
   • "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer"
   • antonym: late
3. belonging to the distant past
   • "the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times"
   • synonyms: former, other
4. very young
   • "at an early age"
5. of an early stage in the development of a language or literature
   • "the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C."; "Early Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476 to 1700"
   • antonym: middle
6. expected in the near future
   • "look for an early end to the negotiations"

EARLY adverb

Definition of early (adverb)

1. during an early stage
   • "early on in her career"
   • synonyms: early on
2. before the usual time or the time expected
   • "she graduated early"; "the house was completed ahead of time"
   • synonyms: ahead of time, too soon
   • antonym: belatedly
3. in good time
   • "he awoke betimes that morning"
   • synonyms: betimes