adoptee
Americannoun
Usage
What does adoptee mean? An adoptee is a person who has been permanently (and typically formally and legally) taken into the custody of an adult or adult couple who act as that person’s parent(s) or guardian(s).In other words, an adoptee is someone who has been adopted. The process of adopting is adoption.Many adoptees used the adjective adopted as a way to identify that they are adopted, as in I’m adopted.The adjective adoptive means related by adoption. A person’s adoptive family is the one they were adopted into. The word can also be applied to specific family members related by adoption, as in adoptive father and adoptive daughter. However, adoptive is most commonly used for parents, while adopted is more commonly applied to a child who has been adopted, as in Their adopted daughter is the newest addition to the family. Adoptee is only used for the person who has been adopted.Adoption most commonly involves an adult couple or a single adult adopting and raising a child who is no longer in the custody of either of their birth parents (biological parents), such as in cases where they have died or are otherwise unable to care for the child.Example: The organization provides support for adoptees and their families.
Etymology
Origin of adoptee
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.
Some intercountry adoptees may not even know they lack US citizenship.
From BBC
Ms Han is the first biological parent of an overseas adoptee seeking damages from the government, while in 2019, a man who was adopted in the US was the first adoptee to sue.
From BBC
An Associated Press investigation has revealed widespread fraud in adoption documents, leaving many adoptees with false or incomplete histories.
From BBC
South Korea has sinced moved to tighten its adoption processes, but some adoptees and their biological parents say they are still haunted by what they went through.
From BBC
If they are successful, it could pave the way for a large number of similar claims by other adoptees.
From BBC
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.
