as in grown-up
a fully grown person
at the beach, the adults sat under broad umbrellas while the children splashed in the water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in pornographic
dealing in or with explicitly sexual material
an adult magazine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in matured
fully grown or developed
insects that are butterflies in their adult stage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adult
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
Texas passed a trans youth medical care ban the last time its legislature met in 2023, and Anderson worries that the coming session could bring a sweeping bathroom ban or health care restrictions for trans adults.
—Nico Lang, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2025
oregonlive, 24 Jan. 2023
There wasn’t much room for making mistakes in this version of adulting—which is, of course, the only way to become truly adult.
—Claire Cohen, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for adult
Noun
Although such a change would be highly unlikely to actually happen, the proposal would have the support of 35 percent of Canadians, according to a new poll from YouGov, which surveyed 1,030 Canadian adults from January 22 to January 28 but was published on Friday.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
Texas passed a trans youth medical care ban the last time its legislature met in 2023, and Anderson worries that the coming session could bring a sweeping bathroom ban or health care restrictions for trans adults.
—Nico Lang, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
The first whale found this month, a sub-adult male gray whale, was recovered Jan. 11 in Winchester Bay and was slain by killer whales, according to Milstein.
—oregonlive, 24 Jan. 2023
There wasn’t much room for making mistakes in this version of adulting—which is, of course, the only way to become truly adult.
—Claire Cohen, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for adult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adult
Adjective
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This is where a healthy injection of Red Hat culture could do a world of good for the larger and more mature IBM teams.—
Jason Andersen,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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Mangroves sequester around 10 times more carbon than mature tropical forests, while sea grass can pull in up to 15 times as much.—
Sarah Stodola,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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It's also left his Gen X elders waiting in the wings.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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Sean also leaned on other gurus in wellness, like Deepak Chopra, Jay Shetty and even unexpected ones like Jay-Z. Additional support came from wise elders in his family, like his mom, in creating this interactive guidebook.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Especially because some of her own early roles, such as the 1998 erotic thriller Wild Things (opposite Neve Campbell) could be judged.—
Liz McNeil,
People.com,
20 Feb. 2025
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Isabelle Huppert For all of her astonishing work with the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Maurice Pialat, Michael Haneke, Claire Denis, and Hong Sang-soo over the last 50 years, Huppert has been nominated for an Academy Award just once, for her performance in Paul Verhoeven’s erotic thriller Elle (2016).—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Especially once Hasbro took over the game from Parker Brothers, Clue became a brand ripe for licensable extension.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2025
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The fruit flavors are ripe and juicy, featuring strawberry, raspberry, and sometimes blackberry.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adult. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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