adulthood

American  

[uh-duhlt-hood] / əˈdʌlt hʊd /

noun

1. the state or period of being fully grown, fully developed, or of age.

   My mother raised four children to adulthood.

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Etymology

Origin of adulthood

adult ( def. ) + -hood ( def. )

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adulthood

He spent most of his young adulthood running bars and nightclubs in New Rochelle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Parents and children received dietary counseling and nutrition education from the time the children were 7 months old through early adulthood.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

Watching “Scooby-Doo” as a child, I came away with two clear ambitions for adulthood: a side gig solving mysteries and a refrigerator always full of sandwich ingredients.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

Meanwhile, a sharp decline in the U.S. fertility rate that began in the mid-2000s will make for fewer young people entering adulthood in the years to come.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

I should like to be a doctor poet, I think, if I happen to survive to adulthood.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• boldness
• bravery
• courage
• fortitude
• masculinity
• mettle
• nobility
• potency
• virility