English dictionary
early
adjectivePronunciation
ˈɝli
Audio pronunciation
Parts of speech
Definitions
adjective
- at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
adjective
- being or occurring at an early stage of development
adjective
- of an early stage in the development of a language or literature
adjective
- very young
adjective
- belonging to the distant past
adjective
- expected in the near future
adverb
- before the usual time or the time expected
adverb
- in good time
adverb
- during an early stage
Example sentences
early morning
an early warning
early diagnosis
an early death
took early retirement
in an early stage
early forms of life
early man
an early computer
the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C.
Early Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476 to 1700
at an early age
the early inhabitants of Europe
former generations
in other times
look for an early end to the negotiations
she graduated early
the house was completed ahead of time
he awoke betimes that morning
early on in her career