adult

[ uh-duhlt, ad-uhlt ]
/ əˈdʌlt, ˈæd ʌlt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR adult ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having attained full size and strength; grown up; mature: an adult person, animal, or plant.
of, relating to, or befitting adults.
intended for adults; not suitable for children: adult entertainment.

noun

a person who is fully grown or developed or of age.
a full-grown animal or plant.
a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law.

VIDEO FOR ADULT

WATCH NOW: We Asked: What Does It Mean To Be An "Adult"?

Should we be using "adulting" instead of the word "adult" these days?

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of adult

1525–35; 1925–30 for def 3; < Latin adultus grown (past participle of adolēre to make grow), equivalent to ad- ad- + ul- (identical with base al- in aliment, ol- in prolific) + -tus past participle suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM adult

Words nearby adult

adularia, adulate, adulation, adulatory, adullamite, adult, adult education, adult fanconi's syndrome, adult home, adult medulloepithelioma, adult onset diabetes
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to adult

person, woman, man, grownup, developed, grown, grown-up, ripe, gentleperson

Example sentences from the Web for adult

British Dictionary definitions for adult

adult
/ (ˈædʌlt, əˈdʌlt) /

adjective

having reached maturity; fully developed
of or intended for mature peopleadult education
regarded as suitable only for adults, because of being pornographicadult films and magazines

noun

a person who has attained maturity; a grownup
a mature fully grown animal or plant
law a person who has attained the age of legal majority (18 years for most purposes)Compare infant

Derived forms of adult

adulthood, noun

Word Origin for adult

C16: from Latin adultus, from adolēscere to grow up, from alēscere to grow, from alēre to feed, nourish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for adult

adult
[ ə-dŭlt′, ăd′ŭlt ]

n.

One who has attained maturity or legal age.
A fully grown, mature organism.

adj.

Fully developed and mature.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.