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

Wednesday's Child on CBS News Colorado Raise the Future provides family support services to foster and adoptive families to help mitigate those big behaviors and strengthen the family bonds. —Libby Smith, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026

So far, the video has received more than 11,000 upvotes and 363 comments, with users reacting to both the dog’s appearance and the compassion shown by his adoptive family. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026

Ozzy was also father to daughter Jessica and son Louis with his first wife Thelma Riley, and the adoptive father of Riley's son Eliot from a prior relationship. —Meg Walters, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026

The pair gained notoriety in part for recording a diss track aimed at Drake, the multi-platinum rap star who has an adoptive relationship with Houston. —John Wayne Ferguson, Houston Chronicle, 2 Mar. 2026

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)