adulting

American  

[uh-duhlt-ing, ad-uhlt-ing] / əˈdʌlt ɪŋ, ˈæd ʌlt ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of carrying out the everyday tasks associated with adulthood, and of taking on adult responsibilities.

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Other Word Forms

• adulter noun

Example Sentences

Hopefully I’ll live a long time, and by the time they have to think about managing my affairs, they’ll know a lot more about adulting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

This should be a teachable moment, the adulting equivalent of an afterschool special.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 26, 2025

She said she had told herself, “This is an adulting task that needs to get done.”

From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2023

She’s now struggling to support herself on $27,000 a year and figure out all the adulting stuff most people went through 20 years younger.

From Slate • Jan. 9, 2023

Because no one wants to live forever in a tiny home or a hotel room, with a curfew and strict rules on what housed people would just call adulting.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2022