immaturity
/ˌɪməˈtjʊərəti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪməˈtʃʊrəti/ (ame, ipa) · /"+/ (ame, mw)
immaturity — noun
1. ways of behaving or reacting that are not sensible or calm, seeming more typical
ways of behaving or reacting that are not sensible or calm, seeming more typical of a child than of an adult of that age
Chitra's colleagues were frustrated by her immaturity during important team meetings.
possessive + immaturity as a quality attributed to a person
Throwing a tantrum because the restaurant was out of pasta showed Dan's immaturity.
gerund subject showing immaturity through a specific action
The manager warned Tariq that his constant joking at work reflected immaturity.
Chen's immaturity was obvious when he refused to share the office printer with others.
After losing the chess match, Liam blamed his opponent instead of himself — pure immaturity.
- childishness
very close in meaning; immaturity is slightly broader and can also imply inexperience
- puerility
formal and less common; emphasises silliness rather than emotional steadiness
- juvenility
more neutral and less critical; can simply mean 'youthfulness' rather than a negative judgment
- callowness
emphasises lack of life experience and naive judgment more than childish behaviour
文法句型
immaturity + of + noun/gerund
show/display + immaturity
用法筆記
Frequently used to criticise someone whose behaviour does not match the calm, sensible conduct expected from their age or position. The subject of the criticism is usually the person's actions or attitude, not the person directly (e.g. Her immaturity showed in the way she argued, not She is immaturity).
常見錯誤
2. the quality of having had too little experience in a particular area to handle s
the quality of having had too little experience in a particular area to handle situations or make good decisions
Ana's immaturity in financial matters led her to spend her whole savings on a sports car.
immaturity + in + [area] specifies the domain of inexperience
The young lawyer's professional immaturity showed when she failed to prepare for the hearing.
adjective + immaturity (e.g. professional, political)
Emeka admitted his immaturity in handling difficult customer complaints at his first job.
Ibrahim's immaturity in contract negotiations was obvious when he signed a deal without reading the fine print.
- inexperience
more neutral and broader; does not carry the same critical tone as immaturity
- greenness
informal; describes someone new and untrained in a role
- rawness
emphasises lack of polish or refinement from insufficient practice
- experience
direct opposite; practical knowledge gained through time and practice
- sophistication
worldly knowledge and refined judgment
文法句型
immaturity + in + noun/gerund
political/financial/emotional + immaturity
用法筆記
Often modified by a preceding adjective or noun that specifies the area of inexperience (political immaturity, professional immaturity, emotional immaturity). This sense blends into sense 1 when the inexperience results in childish behaviour, but here the focus is on lack of practice or skill rather than emotional childishness.
常見錯誤
3. the condition of a living thing that has not yet finished growing or reached its
the condition of a living thing that has not yet finished growing or reached its full physical development
The baby's lung immaturity was due to her being born two months early.
noun + immaturity (e.g. lung immaturity) — medical context
The young apple tree's immaturity meant it would need another two years before it could bear any fruit.
The puppy's bone immaturity meant it was not ready for long walks on hard surfaces.
Frog immaturity is easy to recognise in tadpoles, which have tails and no legs.
- underdevelopment
more technical; often used for organs, tissues, or infrastructure
- unripeness
specific to fruit that has not reached the edible stage
- prematurity
can overlap but usually refers to something happening too early rather than being undeveloped
文法句型
noun + immaturity
physical/sexual + immaturity
用法筆記
Common in medical, biological, and agricultural contexts. The immaturity is typically specified by a premodifying noun (lung immaturity, bone immaturity, fruit immaturity, sexual immaturity) describing which part or aspect has not fully developed.