immaturely

IPA/ˌɪm.əˈtjʊə.li/
IPA/ˌɪm.əˈtʃʊr.li/

immaturely — adverb

1. showing poorer judgment and less self-control than is normal for someone at that

1.adverbB2
Definition

showing poorer judgment and less self-control than is normal for someone at that age.

Example

Takeshi reacted immaturely when his sister beat him at chess again.

react immaturely when losing a game

After the meeting, Mira immaturely mocked the intern's question in the hallway.

Common collocations
  • behave immaturely
  • react immaturely
  • respond immaturely to criticism
  • argue immaturely
  • speak immaturely
Synonyms
  • childishly

    very close, often stressing silly or sulky behaviour

  • petulantly

    narrower and more focused on annoyed, bad-tempered reactions

  • foolishly

    broader; can describe bad decisions without the age-related judgment

Antonyms
  • maturely

    shows the calm judgment expected for the situation

  • sensibly

    focuses on making practical, reasonable choices

  • calmly

    stresses emotional control, even if age is not the issue

Grammar Patterns

behave immaturely

react immaturely to criticism

respond immaturely during an argument

Usage Note

Usually follows verbs such as behave, react, respond, and speak. It judges the manner of the action, not the person's age by itself.

Common Mistakes

The committee made an immaturely decision.
The committee made an immature decision.
use the adjective immature before a noun; immaturely describes how an action is done.
He was immaturely in the meeting.
He behaved immaturely in the meeting.
immaturely needs a verb to modify; it cannot stand alone after be.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

'Immaturely' is a broad negative adverb for acting below the level of judgment people expect for your age. 'Childishly' is very close, but it often suggests silliness, sulking, or small emotional reactions. 'Petulantly' is narrower and highlights bad temper when someone does not get what they want. 'Irresponsibly' is stronger when the problem is neglecting duty or ignoring consequences, not simply acting young. If a manager rolls his eyes during a serious meeting, 'immaturely' fits well. If someone snaps because a plan changed, 'petulantly' highlights the annoyed tone. Use 'irresponsibly' when the behaviour creates risk or avoids responsibility.

immaturely ↗childishly ↗petulantlyirresponsibly ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Immaturely comes from the adjective immature plus the English adverb ending -ly. Immature itself goes back through French to Latin immaturus, meaning not fully ripe or not yet ready. In modern English, the adverb keeps that idea of not being fully developed, especially in behaviour or judgment.

First known use

1548

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 2