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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adult
Janelle Griffith, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In addition, 14 children and 3 adults were injured.
—Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for adult
Noun
Hennepin Healthcare is treating two adults and nine children between the ages of 6 and 14, said emergency medicine chair Dr. Thomas Wyatt.
—Janelle Griffith, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In addition, 14 children and 3 adults were injured.
—Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
There has not been a sighting of a calf since 2005, though juvenile and sub-adult whales have been seen more recently, Crance said.
—Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for adult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adult
Adjective
-
Best For: Normal-to-dry skin, mature skin How to Use: After cleansing, dispense into hands and pat it into skin, layering as needed for additional hydration.—
Deanna Pai,
Vogue,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Caring nurse holding smiling mature patient hand at meeting in hospital.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Officials with the Southeastern Oneida Tribal Services in Milwaukee helped organize volunteers to clear the basements of multiple elders whose homes were flooded.—
Frank Vaisvilas,
jsonline.com,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Village elders said no one visited for at least two years.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Born in Tulsa, Okla., Page was known for her erotic film work made with production groups like Vixen Media.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
-
So this mention of erotic undertones, Whitney mentioned that he wasn’t romantically involved with Beauford Delaney but there are hints that Beauford was interested in that.—
Fiction Non Fiction
August 21,
Literary Hub,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Nate Bellinger, an attorney with Our Children's Trust, said Wisconsin laws are ripe for a challenge.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Only 1/3rd of households have only one car, so 2/3rds are ripe for car replacement at the right price.—
Brad Templeton,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adult. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share