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

“The questions in this novel explore how it feels in those early years of adulthood when there are still so many possibilities, so many directions you might go,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Skills that help you survive childhood can screw you up in adulthood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Eventually, adulthood is supposed to mean meeting the vegetable on its own terms — and, preferably, enjoying it.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

Even after children reach adulthood, parents may continue to see them as needing protection, rather than as capable of confronting difficult truths.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

There were lessons there, as powerful as the ones Pima’s mother taught when she explained how they were to survive into adulthood.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Related Words

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