adoptive

adjective

adop·​tive ə-ˈdäp-tiv 

1

: made or acquired by adoption

the adoptive father

2

: of or relating to adoption

adoptively adverb

Examples of adoptive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mindy Sterling played Clair Nella Who, one of the Grinch's adoptive mothers who tried to raise him to fit in with Whoville’s other citizens. —EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024

Duell debuted on the long-running ABC series in 2010 as Michael Corinthos III, the adoptive son of mob boss Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). —Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024

Estranged from his adoptive mother and intrigued by new genetic testing, Hunter had set out to find his birth mother. —Karina Atkins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Nov. 2024

According to the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin, the couple were interviewed in Chicago and admitted dumping their adoptive son's body in a ditch in Mequon. —Doha Madani, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English adoptif, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French adoptif, going back to Old French, borrowed from Latin adoptīvus, from adoptāre "to adopt" + -īvus -ive

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing adoptive

• adoptive immunotherapy
• adoptive parent

Kids Definition

adoptive

adjective

adop·​tive ə-ˈdäp-tiv 

: made by or associated with adoption

the adoptive parents

Legal Definition

adoptive

adjective

adop·​tive ə-ˈdäp-tiv 

1

a

: having adopted

an adoptive parent

b

: having been adopted

an adoptive child

2

: made or acquired by accepting as one's own the words or actions of another

to constitute an adoptive admission…defendant must actually understand what was said and have an opportunity to deny it

—United States v. White, 766 F. Supp. 873 (1991)