maturation

/ˌmætʃuˈreɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmætʃuˈreɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌma-chə-ˈrā-shən/ (ame, mw)

maturation — 名詞

1. the natural process by which a person's mind and feelings develop toward greater

1.名詞B2
釋義

心智成熟

心理與情緒的成長過程

the natural process by which a person's mind and feelings develop toward greater self-awareness, emotional balance, and the ability to deal with difficult situations

例句

The therapist said that Kenji's emotional maturation was visible in how he handled his parents' divorce.

治療師說，Kenji 的情緒成熟表現在他處理父母離婚的方式上。

emotional maturation + handle + difficult life event

Mei's maturation into a confident leader surprised everyone who remembered her shy first day at work.

記得 Mei 第一天上班時多麼害羞的人，看到她蛻變成自信的領導者都感到驚訝。

maturation into + noun phrase describing result

同義詞
  • development

    Broader term; covers any gradual unfolding or improvement, not just the final stage

  • growth

    Focuses on increase in capability or understanding; less formal than maturation

反義詞
  • immaturity

    The state of not having reached full emotional or mental development

文法句型

the maturation of [person/group]

[person]'s [adjective] maturation

用法筆記

Often paired with adjectives like emotional, moral, psychological, or social to specify the type of development. More formal than the everyday word growing up.

常見錯誤

❌The maturation of children happens in school.
✅Children's emotional and social development happens at school.
💡Maturation suggests a complete biological or psychological process, not classroom learning specifically.
❌Her maturation as a person was fast.
✅She went through a period of rapid personal maturation.
💡Fast describes moving objects; rapid or quick is more natural for processes.

2. the series of changes a living thing goes through as it grows from an early or y

2.名詞B2
釋義

身體成熟

生物體發育至成體大小與型態的過程

the series of changes a living thing goes through as it grows from an early or young form into its full adult size and physical form

例句

Thiago's bone maturation was slower than average, so the doctor said he still had more growing to do.

Thiago 的骨骼成熟速度比平均值慢，因此醫生說他還有更多成長空間。

collocation: bone / skeletal / sexual maturation

The maturation of a butterfly from a caterpillar takes about two weeks in warm weather.

蝴蝶從毛毛蟲到成熟的過程，在溫暖天氣下大約需要兩週。

同義詞
  • growth

    Focuses on increase in size; less technical than maturation

  • development

    Broader; covers all progressive changes including those before full maturity

反義詞
  • degeneration

    The decline or loss of mature physical structure, as in aging or disease

文法句型

the maturation of [organism/body part]

[body part] maturation

用法筆記

Common in biology, medicine, and child development contexts. May be specified as physical maturation, sexual maturation, or bone maturation. The subject is typically an organism, a species, or a body system.

常見錯誤

❌The maturation of the plant was fast because I watered it every day.
✅The plant grew quickly because I watered it every day.
💡Maturation refers to the full developmental lifecycle, not just getting bigger from watering.
❌Her body reached maturation when she turned twelve.
✅She reached physical maturation in her mid-teens.
💡Physical maturation is a gradual process, not a sudden event triggered by a birthday.

3. a later stage in the lifecycle of a commercial sector or product type, when rapi

3.名詞C1
釋義

市場成熟

產業或市場成長趨緩的階段

a later stage in the lifecycle of a commercial sector or product type, when rapid expansion ends and most possible buyers already have the item or service

例句

The smartphone market reached maturation in developed countries, so companies now compete mainly on price and brand loyalty.

智慧型手機市場在已開發國家已達成熟，因此業者主要靠價格和品牌忠誠度競爭。

collocation: market reaches maturation

Diego warned investors that the streaming industry was approaching maturation and future profits would be much smaller.

Diego 提醒投資人，串流產業正接近成熟階段，未來獲利將會大幅縮小。

同義詞
  • stabilization

    Focuses on steadiness rather than lifecycle completion

  • peak

    Emphasizes the highest point before decline, not the plateau itself

反義詞
  • growth phase

    The early period of rapid market expansion, before maturation

文法句型

the maturation of [market/industry]

[market/industry] reaches maturation

enter the maturation phase

用法筆記

Used in business and economics. Often combined with reach, approach, or enter. The subject is typically a market, industry, sector, or product category. Contrasts with growth phase (early rapid expansion) and decline phase (falling demand).

常見錯誤

❌The company reached maturation in its first year.
✅The company reached maturation after a decade in the market.
💡Maturation for a business implies slowing growth, which takes time and cannot happen during an early rapid-expansion phase.
❌Our product needs maturation to sell better.
✅Our product needs further development to sell better.
💡Maturation describes the overall market lifecycle; a single product undergoes development or improvement, not maturation.