earliness

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Occurrence near the beginning of a period of time

Nouns

1. (early arrival) earliness, punctuality, promptitude, alacrity, dispatch, expedition, readiness, preparation; haste; head start, lead time, advance notice; first to arrive, first on the scene. See unpreparedness, beginning, instantaneity.

2. (early development) prematurity, precocity, precipitation, anticipation.

See prediction, priority, occasion.

3. (early hour) early black, bright, or candlelight; early bird. Informal, red-eye.

Verbs

1. be early, be beforehand, jump the gun, take time by the forelock, anticipate, forestall; have the start; steal a march upon, get or have the jump on, steal one's thunder or the spotlight, take the words out of one's mouth; take advantage of; gain time, preempt, bespeak.

2. be up or arise before the dawn.

Adjectives

1. (early in time) early, timely, punctual, forward; prompt, instant, ready.

2. (developed early) premature, precipitate, precocious; prevenient, anticipatory, ahead of time; forward, advanced; imminent.

Adverbs

1. early, soon, anon, betimes, duly, ere or before long, punctually, promptly, on time or schedule, on the dot, to the minute, in due course or season, in [good] time or season, in due time, time enough, bright and early.

2. (before something) beforehand, prematurely, precipitately, hastily, too soon, before its time; in anticipation; unexpectedly.

3. (soon) briefly, shortly, presently, at the first opportunity, by and by, in a while, directly.

Phrases — first come, first served; punctuality is the art of guessing correctly how late the other party is going to be; a stitch in time saves nine; early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise; strike while the iron is hot; the early bird catches the worm.

Quotations — You come most carefully upon your hour (Shakespeare), Lovers ever run before the clock (Shakespeare), I was nearly kept waiting (Louis XIV), I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them (E. V. Lucas), Punctuality is the virtue of the bored (Evelyn Waugh), One who has a reputation for rising early can sleep until noon (Alphonse Daudet).

Antonyms, see lateness.