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

Rob was also the adoptive father of Tracy Reiner, whose mother Penny Marshall was his first wife. —Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025

Reiner was previously married to the late director Penny Marshall, and is the adoptive father of her daughter, actress Tracy Reiner. —Jordan Freiman, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025

Cy’s adoptive mother who gave up her dreams of a big-city law career to raise him, and Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), a former star cellist who hopes that the thousands of dollars she’s donated to Wicks will generate a miracle cure for her chronic pain. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025

The script’s most cynical creation is Vera’s adoptive son, Cy (Daryl McCormack), a soulless opportunist who, after failing to launch himself into Republican politics, is now aiming for social-media stardom. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025

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)