immaturity
C1Formal, academic, psychological
Definition
Meaning
The state of not being fully grown, developed, or emotionally/intellectually adult.
A lack of the sophistication, wisdom, or responsibility expected of an adult; behaviour or characteristics typical of someone younger or less experienced.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often refers to psychological, emotional, or social development rather than physical. Can describe a temporary stage or a persistent character flaw. Implies a negative judgement when applied to an adult.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling is consistent.
Connotations
Equally pejorative in both dialects when describing an adult's behaviour.
Frequency
Slightly more common in formal/academic writing than in casual speech in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
the immaturity of [NOUN PHRASE][VERB] immaturity[ADJECTIVE] immaturityVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[Not a high-frequency idiom carrier. Often used literally.]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to criticise unprofessional or irresponsible behaviour, e.g., 'His immaturity was evident in his inability to handle feedback.'
Academic
Used in developmental psychology, sociology, and literary criticism to describe a stage or trait, e.g., 'The study focused on emotional immaturity in adolescents.'
Everyday
Used to criticise someone's silly or irresponsible actions, e.g., 'Not replying to the invite was just immaturity on his part.'
Technical
In biology/zoology, can refer to a pre-adult physical stage of an organism.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- To mature
American English
- To mature
adverb
British English
- He behaved immaturely during the negotiation.
American English
- She reacted immaturely to the criticism.
adjective
British English
- His immature reaction spoiled the meeting.
- The plan was criticised for being conceptually immature.
American English
- She found his prank immature and annoying.
- The market for this technology is still relatively immature.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- His immaturity sometimes causes problems with his friends.
- Teenagers often show signs of immaturity.
- The panel criticised the report for its intellectual immaturity.
- His emotional immaturity makes long-term relationships difficult.
- The political commentator attributed the policy failure to a profound immaturity in the administration's strategic thinking.
- Biological immaturity in certain brain regions may explain the risk-taking behaviour observed in late adolescence.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think 'I'M-MATURE-ity' – it's the state where you are NOT ('im-') that. You're still working on becoming mature.
Conceptual Metaphor
MATURITY/ADULTHOOD IS COMPLETENESS/FULLNESS (hence, immaturity is incompleteness). GROWTH IS A JOURNEY (immaturity is an early stage).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque from 'незрелость' for all contexts; for behavioural 'childishness', 'ребячество' might be closer.
- In Russian, 'инфантилизм' is a stronger, more clinical synonym, similar to English 'infantilism'.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'imaturity' (missing one 'm').
- Confusing with 'immoral' or 'immortal' due to the 'im-' prefix.
- Using it to describe objects instead of beings/behaviour (e.g., 'an immature cheese' is fine, but 'the cheese's immaturity' is odd).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'immaturity' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always. When describing children or adolescents, it's a neutral, developmental term. It becomes pejorative when used to describe adults who should know or act better.
They are very close synonyms. 'Childishness' often focuses more on specific silly or annoying behaviours, while 'immaturity' can describe a broader, more fundamental lack of development in judgement, emotion, or social skills.
Yes, but usually in a metaphorical or technical sense. E.g., 'the immaturity of the technology' (it's not fully developed), or in biology, 'the immaturity of the specimen'.
The most direct and common opposite is 'maturity'. Others include 'adulthood', 'sophistication', or 'experience', depending on the context.
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