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early

/ˈɝli/adjective, adverb2 syllables

Early means: at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time.

Synonyms for early46

adjective, as in at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

aboriginal, primal, primeval, primaeval, primordial, advance, beforehand, archean, archaean, archeozoic, archaeozoic, azoic, earlier, earliest
and 9 more, earlyish, premature, untimely, previous, proterozoic, proto, wee, first, 1st

adjective, as in being or occurring at an early stage of development

archaic, primitive, new, young, crude, rude, embryonic, embryotic, incipient, inchoate, precocious

adjective, as in belonging to the distant past

former, other, past

adjective, as in very young

young, immature

adjective, as in of an early stage in the development of a language or literature

Old

adjective, as in expected in the near future

future

adverb, as in before the usual time or the time expected

ahead of time, too soon

adverb, as in during an early stage

early on

adverb, as in in good time

betimes

also used for early

early doors, prematurely

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of early

middle, late

What does early mean?9

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”

2

being or occurring at an early stage of development“in an early stage”

3

belonging to the distant past“the early inhabitants of Europe”

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.”

6

expected in the near future“look for an early end to the negotiations”

adverb

1

before the usual time or the time expected“she graduated early”

2

during an early stage“early on in her career”

3

in good time“he awoke betimes that morning”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with early?2

two syllables

curlyhurley
Show 40 near rhymes
worryattorneyjerseyjourneyworriedturkeydirtythirtyworthymurraymercyworrieshurrymurphyderbyattorneysfirmlysurreyclergythirstyfirstlypercyjerseysjourneysfurryquirkysturdyherpesworldlyearthlyhermesadverselyblurrybirdiethirtiesturkeysunworthynerdyovertlycurvy

Early in a sentence

  • We had no customers, so we shut the shop early.Eldad
  • As usual, he got up early in the morning and jogged.Eldad
  • In any case, you have to leave early, whether you like it or not.CM
  • Needless to say, getting up early is important.CM
  • She packed yesterday, so as to be ready early today.unknown
  • I started early in the morning, arriving there late at night.unknown
  • In early times, inventions were often stumbled upon by accident.CM
  • You can go out, as long as you promise to be back early.CK

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of early

as a adjective

comparative
earlier
superlative
earliest

as a adverb

comparative
earlier
superlative
earliest