grown-up
Americanadjective
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having reached the age of maturity.
-
characteristic of or suitable for adults.
grown-up behavior; grown-up fiction.
adjective
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having reached maturity; adult
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suitable for or characteristic of an adult
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of grown-up
First recorded in 1625–35; adj. use of verb phrase grow up
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.
Compared to the 30-year-old I interviewed five years ago, Piker looked considerably more grown-up.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
The more grown-up look comes as George, now a teenager, gets ready to start secondary school in September.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
It feels daring for how it wants to actually examine the emotional costs of contemporary grown-up life, bringing wincing laughs of recognition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
With its exquisite controls—a knob to wind the clock, a key to wind the bell and a button to silence the alarm—it was a bewildering cross between jewelry and a grown-up appliance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
“I shall say I didn’t know you, for you look so grown-up and unlike yourself, I’m quite afraid of you,” he said, fumbling at his glove button.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
