adult

noun

A person who has reached the legal age of majority.

An animal that is full-grown.

verb

(intransitive, slang) To behave like an adult.

(nonstandard, rare) To (cause to) be or become an adult.

adjective

Fully grown.

Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.

Containing situations or discussions intended primarily for adults, such as serious crime, illicit drug use, extramarital affairs, etc.

(of a beverage) Containing alcohol, intended for consumption only by adults.

(of a cookie, gummy, etc.) Containing marijuana, intended for consumption only by adults.

Containing material of an explicit sexual nature; pornographic.

Containing excessive vulgar or profane speech, text or images, intended only for adults.

Intended for, or restricted to, those who are not young children.

Roots

alesco-ult · Latin · grow

Synonyms for adult

grownadj matureadj agedn

Synonyms & related words for adult

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of adult — including grown, mature, aged. 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 adult

Explore words related to adult — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include grownup, preadult, adulthood, adolescent, juvenile, juvenilize, juvenescent, preteen. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for adult

Common synonyms for adult include grown, mature, aged — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does adult come from?

The word adult breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root -ult, from Latin alesco (“grow”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.