adjective
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acquired or related by adoption
an adoptive father
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of or relating to adoption Compare adopted
Usage
Although adoptive in the sense “acquired or related by adoption” can refer to either parent or child in such a relationship, adoptive is customarily applied to the parent ( her adoptive mother ) and adopted to the child ( their adopted son ).
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of adoptive
1400–50; < Latin adoptīvus; see adopt, -ive; replacing late Middle English adoptife < Middle French adoptif
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.
Her adoptive parent, Dr. Ilene Andrews, is a linguistics expert and Kong researcher, played by Rebecca Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
One pointed out that the children's adoptions had been approved based on government officers' recommendations, and that the adoptive parents "are innocent parties that have done every step in accordance with the law".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
His coming of age occurs when, while fighting for Germany in World War I at the colonial outpost of Tsingtau, in China, he is captured by his adoptive country of Japan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Disney's "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" saw the much-adored Baby Yoda and his adoptive guardian sweep the North American box office with an estimated $102 million take through Monday, industry estimates showed.
From Barron's ● May 24, 2026
It was the hands-on end of the struggle: placing babies with adoptive parents, finding work for the unemployed and medical help for the uninsured.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
