adoption

noun

The state of being adopted; the acceptance of a child of other parents as if he or she were one's own child.

The act of adopting.

The act of accepting and putting into effect or practice (a method, proposal, technique, etc.)

The choosing and making that to be one's own which originally was not so; acceptance.

(computing) The transfer from an old system to another (usually better) system.

(theology) An act of divine grace by which the redeemed in Christ are admitted to the privileges of the sons of God.

An admission to an institution, for example a hospital, clinic, mental asylum.

(chess, slang) Ten consecutive wins against an opponent.

Roots

optoopt- · Latin · choose, wish

Synonyms for adoption

acceptancen espousaln embracementn

Synonyms & related words for adoption

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of adoption — including acceptance, espousal, embracement. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to adoption

Explore words related to adoption — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include adoptively, readoption, adopting, adopter, adoptive, acceptation, adopted, adoptable. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for adoption

Common synonyms for adoption include acceptance, espousal, embracement — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does adoption come from?

The word adoption breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root opt-, from Latin opto (“choose, wish”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.