Ahead vs Early - What's the difference?
ahead | early |
In or to the front; in advance; onward.
Having progressed more.
In the direction one is facing or moving.
in the future, preceding
*{{quote-news, date = 21 August 2012
, first = Ed
, last = Pilkington
, title = Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?
, newspaper = The Guardian
, url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/21/death-penalty-trial-reggie-clemons?newsfeed=true
, page =
, passage = The Reggie Clemons case has been a cause of legal dispute for the past two decades. Prosecutors alleged that he and his co-defendants brutally cut short the lives of Julie and Robin Kerry, sisters who had just started college and had their whole adult lives ahead of them.
}}
At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=28, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.
Near the start or beginning.
*
, title= * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= Having begun to occur; in its early stages.
At a time before expected; sooner than usual.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.}}
Soon; in good time; seasonably.
* Bible, Proverbs viii. 17
*
A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.
* 2007 , Paul W. Browning, The Good Guys Wear Blue (page 193)
As adverbs the difference between ahead and early
is that ahead is in or to the front; in advance; onward while early is at a time before expected; sooner than usual.As an adjective early is
at a time in advance of the usual or expected event.As a noun early is
a shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.ahead
English
Adverb
(-)- The island bore but a little ahead of us. --Fielding.
- He is far ahead of his class in math.
- Just ahead you can see the cliffs.
Derived terms
* ahead of one's time * get ahead of oneself * straight aheadAntonyms
* (nautical) astern * behindAnagrams
*early
English
Adjective
(er)High and wet, passage=Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early , intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.}}
Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage='Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.}}
The attack of the MOOCs, passage=Dotcom mania was slow in coming to higher education, but now it has the venerable industry firmly in its grip. Since the launch early last year of Udacity and Coursera, two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations.}}
Synonyms
* (at a time in advance of the usual): premature * (near the start): firstAntonyms
* (at a time in advance of the usual): late * : terminalDerived terms
(Derived terms) * earliness * early bath * early bird/the early bird catches the worm * early doors * early grave * early innings * earlyish * Early Latin * early modern * early music * early on * early purple orchid * early retirement * early spider orchid * early syphilis * * early warning radar * early winter cress * early withdrawal * nice and earlyAdverb
(er)- Those that seek me early shall find me.
- You must wake and call me early .
Synonyms
* prematurelyAntonyms
* late, tardilyNoun
(earlies)- On my first day on the watch after leaving the shoplifting squad I paraded on earlies but had completely forgotten to take my ear ring off.