MEANING
Developing abilities, maturity, or understanding earlier than is usual for a person of the same age.
Use it for
Use for ability or maturity that appears earlier than expected.Make a young character seem unexpectedly skilled or perceptive.
Words that belong together
- precocious child
- precocious talent
- precocious insight
On the page
The precocious child corrected the curator’s dates without looking up from her sketchbook.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- precocious
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Usage notes
Most often describes a child’s ability or maturity; it can sound admiring, faintly critical, or simply factual.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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