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

This marked the formal beginning of the Maria Cristina Foundation, named after her adoptive mother. —Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2024

Nearly five months have passed since the last evacuation, and in that time, Esai, who loves soccer and is mischievous, hasn’t been able to talk to his adoptive mother in the United States or his two older brothers who live with her as internet connections and other logistics falter. —Dánica Coto, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2024

His biological mother left his family when Ellison was a child, and his adoptive mother died of cancer during his time in college. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2024

Catch up quick: For about 150 years, Indigenous children were forcibly sent to boarding schools, foster care and adoptive families. —Erin Alberty, Axios, 30 Aug. 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)