adulthood
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of adulthood
Explanation
When you stop growing and start shaving, you are in adulthood — a point where you reach maturity. Unfortunately, physical adulthood does not necessarily imply that psychological adulthood is present. Adulthood implies a maturity of sorts, whether it be physical or psychological. In many cultures, adulthood is marked with a “coming of age” ritual. In Judaism for example, adulthood is marked by the Bat Mitzvah for girls (age 12) and the Bar Mitzvah for boys (age 13) — in which the girl or boy is considered to have reached adulthood within the community.
Vocabulary lists containing adulthood
Sula
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-dom and -hood
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of the greatest lessons of adulthood took place in the quiet confines of my apartment kitchen.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026
The stores sell dresses for proms, special occasions and quinceañeras, a Latin American rite of passage celebrating a young girl’s 15th birthday and her transition to adulthood.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
She has no contact with her birth family - but Poppie wasn't alone as she took her first steps into adulthood last year.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
To readers of “Dirtbag, Massachusetts,” Mr. Fitzgerald’s 2022 memoir about his dysfunctional childhood and hard-partying adulthood, it will come as no surprise that his parents couldn’t even agree about Johnny Appleseed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
By the time the Termites reached adulthood, Terman’s error was plain to see.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
