| 1. |
(adverb) before the usual time or the time expected; "she graduated early"; "the house was completed ahead of time" |
|
Synonyms: ahead of time, too soon |
|
Antonyms: late |
|
| 2. |
(adverb) in good time; "he awoke betimes that morning" |
|
Synonyms: betimes |
|
| 3. |
(adjective) 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" |
|
Antonyms: late, middle |
|
| 4. |
(adjective) being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer |
|
Antonyms: late |
|
| 5. |
(adjective) (linguistics) 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" |
|
Antonyms: late, middle |
|
| 6. |
(satellite adjective) very young; "at an early age" |
|
| 7. |
(satellite adjective) of the distant past; "the early inhabitants of Europe"; "former generations"; "in other times" |
|
Synonyms: former, other |
|
| 8. |
(satellite adjective) expected in the near future; "look for an early end to the negotiations" |
|
| 9. |
(adverb) during an early stage; "early on in her career" |
|
Synonyms: early on |
|