Etimology
From French adulte, from Latin adultus (“grown up”), perfect passive participle of adolescō (“I grow up”). Compare adolescent.
noun
adult (plural adults)
A fully grown human or animal.
A person who has reached the legal age of majority.
Examples
The young not only differs from the adult by the presence of its gills, but its feet are only developed by degrees, and in several genera there are also a deciduous beak and tail, and intestines of a different form
Related words
synonyms
(fully grown human or animal): grown up; see also Thesaurus:adult
adjective
adult (comparative more adult, superlative most adult)
Fully grown.
Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
Examples
an adult human, animal, or plant
The paws of the adult brown bear, and also their hams, especially when smoked, are considered a great delicacy.
adult clothes; adult cereal; an adult documentary
In May 1967 the WGBH Education Division submitted an initial proposal to HUD for a series of four adult television documentaries on conservation in an urban environment.
adult situations; adult discussions
an adult drink; an adult root beer float
an adult cookie; adult gummy worms
an adult movie
This program contains adult content. Parental discretion is advised.
adult language; an adult cartoon
Related words
synonyms
(fully grown): big, fully grown, grown up; see also Thesaurus:full-grown
(intended for adults): grown up; see also Thesaurus:adultlike or Thesaurus:for adults
(containing explicit sexual material): pornographic, X-rated, XXX, XXXX; see also Thesaurus:pornographic
(vulgar): blue, indecent, obscene, salacious; see also Thesaurus:obscene
related terms
adolescent
adulthood
verb
adult (third-person singular simple present adults, present participle adulting, simple past and past participle adulted)
(intransitive, informal) To behave like an adult.
(nonstandard, rare) To (cause to) be or become an adult.
Examples
Womanhood was achieved at twenty-one, when the female was "adulted"; manhood was fully achieved at twenty-five, […]
The process of adulting children […] overlaps with the process of the uncontrolled infiltration of the media […] into children’s imagination.