1
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
early birds of the Jurassic period
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unexpected
occurring before the usual or expected time
we had an early dinner so as not to miss the concert
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in immediately
before the usual or expected time
that year spring arrived early
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of early
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 20 Dec. 2024
In an early Christmas surprise, McCartney gifted fans at London's O2 Arena with a guest appearance from Starr, the famed drummer, and fellow British rocker Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones on Thursday night.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
Alex Sherman, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
Nevertheless, the government could face an economically fraught default sometime early next year should the debt ceiling not be extended or addressed by Congress.
—Robert Costa, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for early 
Adjective
While millennials experienced leopard denim in the form of indie sleaze skinny jeans in the early 2000s Gen Z is taking the trend into a new direction with loose, slouchier fits.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 20 Dec. 2024
In an early Christmas surprise, McCartney gifted fans at London's O2 Arena with a guest appearance from Starr, the famed drummer, and fellow British rocker Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones on Thursday night.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
Adverb
The Suns are following the lead of the Utah Jazz, which cut prices earlier this year.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
Nevertheless, the government could face an economically fraught default sometime early next year should the debt ceiling not be extended or addressed by Congress.
—Robert Costa, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for early
Recent Examples of Synonyms for early
Adjective
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In this 227-page account, which is dotted with illustrations drawn by the author himself, anecdotes range in subject from ancient Greek designs to postmodern master Michael Graves’s work for JCPenney.Geoffrey Montes, Architectural Digest, 1 Jan. 2025
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Before Aristotle, ancient Greek philosophers used techne interchangeably with episteme, the term for pure, theoretical knowledge.Michaëla de Lacaze Mohrmann, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Anomaly Detection: Advanced ML techniques enable AIOps to detect unusual activity patterns such as unauthorized API calls or unexpected resource usage, providing real-time alerts for potential threats.Venkatadri Marella, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
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Inside the roughly $400,000 luxury car, authorities found an unexpected passenger.Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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Everything Blake Lively Claims in Complaint Against Justin Baldoni: Unwanted Kissing, Watching Her Naked and Smear Campaign WME did not comment when reached by PEOPLE, and a representative for Baldoni did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.Bailey Richards, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
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That's the situation Diego Diaz, a radiologic technologist specializing in MRIs and X-rays in New York City has found himself in before when a scan has picked up a problem that's immediately clear to see.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.Joseph J. Kolb, Fox News, 18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.OregonLive.com, OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017
Adjective
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The study found that air pollution linked to data centers could contribute to as many as 1,300 premature deaths and billions of dollars in health costs in the U.S. each year by 2030 if tech companies don't use cleaner power.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
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Each year, the pollution from that power plant is responsible for 177 premature deaths, a 2018 Rice University study found.David Schechter, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Studies involving these prehistoric creatures often rely on teeth above all else; a durable enamel coating helps teeth fossilize reliably, although enamel thickness differs among dinosaur species.Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 1 Jan. 2025
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Of course, there is no direct information on prehistoric fighting styles, so van Dijk and Mors relied on basic biomechanics of combat movements with similar weapons detailed in historic manuals.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Symptoms include sudden sharp, tearing, or ripping chest pain that radiates to the shoulder blades, back, abdomen, and hips.26 6.Lindsay Curtis, Health, 31 Dec. 2024
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And yet, all of a sudden, there was the commotion typical of when a manager walks into a room deep in a stadium as reporters rush to put their phones on the desk and stumble awkwardly, laptops half-cocked, back to their seats.James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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Finland and Estonia promptly called on NATO to bolster its presence in the Baltic Sea.Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024
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The stepmother, Riya Lee, shared the family photos on Facebook on Dec. 25 and was promptly accused of excluding Trü.Raven Brunner, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near early
Cite this Entry
“Early.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/early. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
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