adult
adult Lexical Profile
adult Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Fully grown and developed; having reached physical or legal maturity.
"The literacy program offers evening classes specifically designed for adult learners."
Characteristic of or suitable for mature persons; demonstrating emotional and intellectual maturity.
"They sat down to have a calm, adult conversation about how to divide the household expenses."
Intended exclusively for mature audiences and unsuitable for children, especially due to sexually explicit or graphic content.
"The streaming platform requires a passcode to access films with adult themes."
• noun
A human being who is fully grown and developed, or who has reached the legal age of majority.
"Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times while visiting the museum."
An animal or plant that has reached full growth and reproductive maturity.
"While the larvae feed exclusively on leaves, the adults subsist mainly on flower nectar."
• verb
To behave like a responsible, mature adult, especially by attending to mundane domestic, financial, or professional obligations (informal).
"After spending the entire Saturday paying bills and scheduling dental appointments, she felt she had adulted enough for one weekend."
• Rhymes for adult
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-16th century from Latin 'adultus', the past participle of 'adolescere' (to grow up), which is formed from 'ad-' (to) and 'alescere' (to grow, be nourished). It shares its ultimate root with 'adolescent', where 'adolescent' originally meant 'growing up' and 'adult' meant 'having grown up'.