Definitions for adult
əˈdʌlt, ˈæd ʌltadult

Princeton's WordNet(3.60 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. adult, grownup(noun)

   a fully developed person from maturity onward

2. adult(adj)

   any mature animal

3. adult, big, full-grown, fully grown, grown, grownup(adj)

   (of animals) fully developed

   "an adult animal"; "a grown woman"

4. pornographic, adult(adj)

   designed to arouse lust

   "pornographic films and magazines"; "adult movies"

Wiktionary(2.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. adult(Noun)

   A fully grown human or animal.

   Etymology: adulte, adultus, past participle of adolescere; see adolescent.

2. adult(Noun)

   A person who lives outside the parental home.

   Etymology: adulte, adultus, past participle of adolescere; see adolescent.

3. adult(Noun)

   A person whose parents are deceased.

   Etymology: adulte, adultus, past participle of adolescere; see adolescent.

4. adult(Adjective)

   Of a human or animal, fully grown.

   Etymology: adulte, adultus, past participle of adolescere; see adolescent.

5. adult(Adjective)

   Intended for adults rather than children.

   adult clothes

   Etymology: adulte, adultus, past participle of adolescere; see adolescent.

6. adult(Adjective)

   Containing material of an explicit sexual nature

   Etymology: adulte, adultus, past participle of adolescere; see adolescent.

Wikipedia(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Adult

   Biologically, an adult is a human or other organism that has reached sexual maturity. In human context, the term adult additionally has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a "minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of majority and is therefore regarded as independent, self-sufficient, and responsible. The typical age of attaining legal adulthood is 18, although definition may vary by legal rights and country. Human adulthood encompasses psychological adult development. Definitions of adulthood are often inconsistent and contradictory; a person may be biologically an adult, and have adult behavior but still be treated as a child if they are under the legal age of majority. Conversely, one may legally be an adult but possess none of the maturity and responsibility that may define an adult character. In different cultures there are events that relate passing from being a child to becoming an adult or coming of age. This often encompasses the passing a series of tests to demonstrate that a person is prepared for adulthood, or reaching a specified age, sometimes in conjunction with demonstrating preparation. Most modern societies determine legal adulthood based on reaching a legally specified age without requiring a demonstration of physical maturity or preparation for adulthood.

Webster Dictionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Adult(adj)

   having arrived at maturity, or to full size and strength; matured; as, an adult person or plant; an adult ape; an adult age

   Etymology: [L. adultus, p. p. of adolescere, akin to alere to nourish: cf. F. adulte. See Adolescent, Old.]

2. Adult(noun)

   a person, animal, or plant grown to full size and strength; one who has reached maturity

   Etymology: [L. adultus, p. p. of adolescere, akin to alere to nourish: cf. F. adulte. See Adolescent, Old.]

Freebase(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Adult

   Biologically, an adult is a human being or other organism that is of reproductive age. In human context, the term adult additionally has meanings associated with social and legal concepts; for example, a legal adult is a legal concept for a person who has attained the age of majority and is therefore regarded as independent, self-sufficient, and responsible. In addition, human adulthood encompasses psychological adult development. Definitions of adulthood are often inconsistent and contradictory; a person may be biologically an adult, and have adult behavior but still be treated as a child if they are under the legal age of majority. Conversely, one may legally be an adult but possess none of the maturity and responsibility that may define adult character. An event relating to the oncoming of adulthood is coming of age, which encompasses passing a series of tests to demonstrate that a person is prepared for adulthood, or reaching a specified age, sometimes in conjunction with demonstrating preparation. Most modern societies determine legal adulthood based on reaching a legally specified age without requiring a demonstration of physical maturity or preparation for adulthood.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Adult

   ad-ult′, adj. grown: mature.—n. a grown-up person.—n. Adult′ness. [L. adultus—adolescĕre, to grow. See Adolescent.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(2.50 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Adult

   A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age.

Editors Contribution(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. adult

   A person of a known specific age defined in legislation.

   In some countries the defined legal age of an adult is 16, in other countries it is 18.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 16, 2020  

Entomology(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Adult

   the stage when an insect is sexually mature and ready to reproduce normally.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'adult' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2240

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'adult' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3659

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'adult' in Nouns Frequency: #601

How to pronounce adult?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say adult in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of adult in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of adult in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of adult in a Sentence

1. James Mason:

   My team and I will present facts soon that will discredit any and all accusations that suggest that I have engaged in any acts of bullying, harassment, or aggressive acts against my accusers, to the contrary, We will show that I have been extremely instrumental in attempts to assist my accusers in their quest to re establish a relationship with their adult daughter. I have confidence in my legal team that I will be exonerated of all pending charges.

2. Ralph DeFranco:

   His son is still living in the same house with the same people, he is an adult and lives where he wants.

3. United States:

   It is true that a rising number of American teenagers have tried or recently used flavored vapes and this has caused alarm. But by removing all these products from the market, the proposed United States policy forgets that the flavors are an important part of the appeal to adult smokers trying to quit smoking, in Europe, flavored e-cigarettes have contributed to recent declines in adult smoking and well-conducted randomized controlled trials show that these products do help people quit.

4. Tara Carson:

   I turned to my daughter and I was like 'Listen, this is how I'm raising you not to be as an adult. Like, you will never be like this when you get older,' i felt helpless as a mom that, you know, I couldn't do anything to help her, because I can't explain why there's crazy people in this world that behave like that.

5. Olive Schreiner:

   Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared to the infantile disease of measles; a complaint which so commonly attacks the young of humanity in their infancy, and when gone through at that period leaves behind it so few fatal marks; but which when it normally attacks the fully developed adult becomes one of the most virulent and toxic of diseases, often permanently poisoning the constitution where it does not end in death.

Images & Illustrations of adult

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