EARLY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for EARLY?

Need another word that means the same as “early”? Find 40 synonyms and 30 related words for “early” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Early” are: former, other, untimely, premature, prompt, timely, quick, speedy, rapid, fast, expeditious, advance, forward, prior, old style, past, bygone, historic, antique, antiquarian, classical, traditional, folk, old-world, ancestral, time-honoured, ancient, veteran, vintage, quaint, betimes, early on, ahead of time, too soon, early in the day, in the early morning, before the usual time, before the appointed time, in advance, in readiness

Early as an Adjective

Definitions of "Early" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “early” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Belonging to the distant past.
• At or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time.
• Occurring at the beginning of a sequence.
• Very young.
• (of a plant or crop) flowering or ripening before other varieties.
• Being or occurring at an early stage of development.
• Of an early stage in the development of a language or literature.
• Belonging or happening near the beginning of a particular period.
• Denoting or belonging to the beginning of a historical period or cultural movement.
• Expected in the near future.
• Happening or done before the usual or expected time.
• Done or occurring near the beginning of the day.

Synonyms of "Early" as an adjective (30 Words)

advance	Being ahead of time or need. At that time the most advanced outpost was still east of the Rockies.
ancestral	Of, belonging to, or inherited from an ancestor or ancestors. The family s ancestral home.
ancient	Belonging to times long past especially of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Ancient history.
antiquarian	Relating to or dealing in antiques or rare books. Antiquarian booksellers.
antique	Belonging to or lasting from times long ago. A suit of rather antique appearance.
bygone	Belonging to an earlier time. Bygone days.
classical	Well-known and long-established in form or style. The classical house at Buscot Park.
expeditious	Done with speed and efficiency. An expeditious investigation.
fast	(of a photographic lens or emulsion) causing a shortening of exposure time. A fast car.
folk	Relating to folk music. Folk wisdom.
former	(used especially of persons) of the immediate past. The seafarers of former times.
forward	Of the transmission gear causing forward movement in a motor vehicle. The pilot s forward view.
historic	Belonging to the past; of what is important or famous in the past. A historical character.
old style	Belonging to some prior time.
old-world	Characteristic of former times especially in Europe.
other	Not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied. His other books are still in storage.
past	Belonging to a former time. Time past.
premature	Born after a gestation period of less than the normal time. It would be premature to draw any firm conclusions at this stage.
prior	Existing or coming before in time, order, or importance. He has a prior engagement this evening.
prompt	According to schedule or without delay; on time. The train is prompt.
quaint	Attractively old-fashioned (but not necessarily authentic. The head terminating in the quaint duck bill which gives the animal its vernacular name.
quick	Moving quickly and lightly. A quick temper.
rapid	Happening in a short time or at a great rate. The country s rapid economic decline.
speedy	Moving quickly. A speedy recovery.
time-honoured	Acceptable for a long time.
timely	Done or occurring sufficiently early; prompt. With timely treatment the patient has a good chance of recovery.
traditional	Consisting of or derived from tradition. Traditional morality.
untimely	(of a death or end) happening too soon or sooner than normal. Dave s untimely return.
veteran	Rendered competent through trial and experience. A veteran officer.
vintage	Denoting something from the past of high quality, especially something representing the best of its kind. A vintage Sherlock Holmes adventure.

Usage Examples of "Early" as an adjective

• Early morning.
• An early goal secured victory.
• Early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties.
• Early potatoes.
• An early computer.
• Took early retirement.
• We ate an early lunch.
• Early man.
• She's in her early fifties.
• The earlier chapters of the book.
• Early diagnosis.
• An early warning.
• At an early age.
• An early death.
• The early inhabitants of Europe.
• Early impressionism.
• In an early stage.
• Early forms of life.
• Look for an early end to the negotiations.
• We agreed to meet at 6 am to get an early start.
• An early spring.

Early as an Adverb

Definitions of "Early" as an adverb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “early” as an adverb can have the following definitions:

• Before the present time or before the time one is referring to.
• During an early stage.
• In good time.
• Before the usual time or the time expected.
• Near the beginning of the day.
• Near the beginning of a particular time or period.
• Before the usual or expected time.

Synonyms of "Early" as an adverb (10 Words)

ahead of time	Ahead of time in anticipation.
before the appointed time	Earlier in time; previously.
before the usual time	Earlier in time; previously.
betimes	Before the usual or expected time; early. Next morning I was up betimes.
early in the day	In good time.
early on	Before the usual time or the time expected.
in advance	To or toward the inside of.
in readiness	To or toward the inside of.
in the early morning	To or toward the inside of.
too soon	To a degree exceeding normal or proper limits.

Usage Examples of "Early" as an adverb

• I was planning to finish work early today.
• You met my husband earlier.
• Early on in her career.
• She graduated early.
• We lost a couple of games early in the season.
• I wrote this piece early one morning.

Associations of "Early" (30 Words)

ahead	Leading or ahead in a competition. The train moved ahead slowly.
ancient	A person who lived in ancient times. An ancient pair of jeans.
antecedence	Preceding in time.
antiquate	Make obsolete or old-fashioned.
beforehand	Before an action or event; in advance. Was beforehand with her report.
beginning	The first part or section of something. The beginning canto of the poem.
betimes	In good time. Next morning I was up betimes.
colonist	A settler in or inhabitant of a colony.
embryonic	Relating to an embryo. The plan is still in its embryonic stages.
emerging	Becoming apparent or prominent. Established and emerging artists.
first	The first or highest in an ordering or series. The first violin section.
germinal	Containing seeds of later development. De Beauvoir s germinal book The Second Sex.
history	All that is remembered of the past as preserved in writing; a body of knowledge. The history of the Empire.
inchoate	Just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary. Inchoate proletarian protest.
inchoative	An inchoative verb. Inchoative stages.
initial	Mark or sign a document with one s initials in order to authorize or validate it. Our initial impression was favourable.
medieval	As if belonging to the Middle Ages; old-fashioned and unenlightened. Without other people around I would let my flat degenerate into medieval levels of squalor.
neolithic	Of or relating to the most recent period of the Stone Age (following the mesolithic.
paleolithic	Second part of the Stone Age beginning about 750,00 to 500,000 years BC and lasting until the end of the last ice age about 8,500 years BC. Paleolithic artifacts.
pioneer	Open up a road or terrain as a pioneer. The technique was pioneered by a Swiss doctor in the 1930s.
predate	Exist or occur at a date earlier than (something. Here parish boundaries seem clearly to predate Roman roads.
premature	(of a baby) born before the end of the full term of gestation, especially three or more weeks before. A premature infant.
prematurely	Before the due time; ahead of time. Prematurely grey hair.
previous	Previous convictions a criminal record. Our condemnation of him was a bit previous.
primal	Having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state. Primal hunting societies.
primeval	Having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state. The forest primeval.
primitive	A painting by a primitive artist or an object in a primitive style. The Fauves saw primitive art as a liberating force.
primordial	(of a cell, part, or tissue) in the earliest stage of development. The primordial needs of the masses.
settler	A person who moves with a group of others to live in a new country or area. The early European settlers in America were often fleeing from religious persecution.
untimely	Too soon; in a premature manner. Alcohol brought him to an untimely end.