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.
Bardo credited this to Generation Z hitting adulthood.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026
Chronically high living costs are helping reshape the milestones of early adulthood in America.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026
The strongest component of Garcia’s doe-like performance is the way it captures someone in the midst of shedding her adolescence, gingerly trying on adulthood.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
It’s a great way to feed your inner child while satisfying the palate you’ve built, sustained and refined into adulthood.
From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026
The children had official criminal records that followed them throughout adulthood.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
