adopted

British  

/ əˈdɒptɪd /

adjective

1. having been adopted Compare adoptive

   an adopted child

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Explanation

Something that's adopted has been deliberately chosen. Your adopted country is the place where you choose to live, not necessarily the one in which you're born. If you describe yourself as adopted, it means that you were taken in and raised by parents who didn't give birth to you. Just as your adoptive parents chose you to be their child, other adopted things are also chosen: an adopted language is one you learn and then choose to speak, and an adopted state is the place you freely decide to live in. The Latin root is adoptare, "choose for oneself."

Example Sentences

Dawn's daughter, 29-year-old marketing director, Amanda Kerr, has adopted her mum's favourite hobby as a way to cope with what happened - and help others in the process.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Strategy’s co-founder and executive chairman, Michael Saylor, has been an unflagging champion of the crypto since 2020, when the company first adopted its treasury strategy.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

After the merger, Spirit probably would’ve adopted the business model of JetBlue, or the part of Spirit that was merged into JetBlue would’ve adopted that business model.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

Despite this progress, several obstacles must be addressed before the technology can be widely adopted.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

“Why wouldn’t I? He was the last one who worshipped the Olympian gods, before Constantine came along and adopted Christianity.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• accessible
• familiar
• prevalent
• public
• rampant
• ubiquitous
• universal