Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who has attained maturity or legal age.
  • noun Biology A fully grown, mature organism.
  • adjective Fully developed and mature.
  • adjective Relating to, intended for, or befitting adults.
  • adjective Containing or dealing in explicitly sexual material; pornographic.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Specifically: In civil law, a male infant who has attained the age of fourteen, or a female infant who has attained the age of twelve.
  • noun In common law, one of the full age of twenty-one.
  • Having arrived at mature years, or attained full size and strength: as, an adult person, animal, or plant.
  • Pertaining or relating to adults; suitable for an adult: as, adult age; an adult school.
  • noun A person or (sometimes) an animal grown to full size and strength; one who has reached the age of manhood or womanhood.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Having arrived at maturity, or to full size and strength; matured
  • noun A person, animal, or plant grown to full size and strength; one who has reached maturity.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A fully grown human or animal.
  • noun A person who lives outside the parental home.
  • adjective Of a human or animal, fully grown.
  • adjective Intended for adults rather than children.
  • adjective Containing material of an explicit sexual nature

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a fully developed person from maturity onward
  • noun any mature animal
  • adjective designed to arouse lust
  • adjective (of animals) fully developed

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin adultus, past participle of adolēscere, to grow up; see adolescent.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French adulte, Latin adultus ("grown up"), past participle of adolescere ("to grow up"); see adolescent.

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Examples

  • WORDS ACCENTED ON THE LAST SYLLABLE: address _address'_ adept _adept'_ adult _adult'_ ally _ally'_ commandant _commandänt '(ä as in arm) _ contour _contour'_ dessert _dessert'_ dilate _dilate'_ excise _eksiz'_ finance _finance'_ grimace _grimace'_ importune _importune'_ occult _occult'_ pretence _pretence'_ research _research'_ robust _robust'_ romance _romance'_ tirade _tirade'_

    Practical Grammar and Composition Thomas Wood

  • In 1980, when the term adult child of alcoholic, ACOA was coined, ACOAs literally came out of the woodwork, testifying in droves to confusion, resentment...

    Dr. Tian Dayton: What is an ACOA Dr. Tian Dayton 2011

  • In 1980, when the term adult child of alcoholic, ACOA was coined, ACOAs literally came out of the woodwork, testifying in droves to confusion, resentment and hurt that the child within them still hung onto.

    Dr. Tian Dayton: What is an ACOA Dr. Tian Dayton 2011

  • In 1980, when the term adult child of alcoholic, ACOA was coined, ACOAs literally came out of the woodwork, testifying in droves to confusion, resentment and hurt that the child within them still hung onto.

    Dr. Tian Dayton: What is an ACOA Dr. Tian Dayton 2011

  • In 1980, when the term adult child of alcoholic, ACOA was coined, ACOAs literally came out of the woodwork, testifying in droves to confusion, resentment...

    Dr. Tian Dayton: What is an ACOA Dr. Tian Dayton 2011

  • Please use the term adult offspring in your online expectorations.

    The Spring Break Nostalgia Café. Ann Althouse 2009

  • "When it comes to the term adult soft drink, taste is a priority," claimed Dewey.

    BeverageDaily RSS 2009

  • /You have already to a great extent targeted the population since the word adult is used.

    Help Organising An Adult Literacy Program….urgent !!? « Adult Literacy-2 « Literacy Help « Literacy News 2009

  • The kid understood or at least gave the appearance of understanding, but the years passed and he became what they call an adult and the rats in his mind are still dead, still young.

    The Appearance of Understanding Jeffrey S. Callico 2011

  • Reznor walks me into what he calls his "adult playpen of knob-twiddling": a small garage converted into an Aladdin's cave of instruments, mixing desks and synthesizer modules, their lights winking in the dark.

    Trent Reznor: 'I'm not at war with myself as I once was' 2011

Comments

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  • Daffynition: one who's stopped growing at both ends and now grows just in the middle.

    January 6, 2007

  • BrE speakers strongly prefer the stress /'æd-/ to /-'dʌlt/ (84% in a 2007 survey for the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary).

    August 4, 2008

  • Verb. As in

    "I don't want to adult today"

    June 10, 2016