early

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

• “early morning”
• “an early warning”
• “early diagnosis”
• “an early death”
• “took early retirement”
• “an early spring”
• “early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties”

being or occurring at an early stage of development

• “in an early stage”
• “early forms of life”
• “early man”
• “an early computer”

of the distant past

• “the early inhabitants of Europe”
• “former generations”
• “in other times”

very young

• “at an early age”

of an early stage in the development of a language or literature

• “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”

expected in the near future

• “look for an early end to the negotiations”

during an early stage

• “early on in her career”

before the usual time or the time expected

• “she graduated early”
• “the house was completed ahead of time”

in good time

• “he awoke betimes that morning”