grown-up

1 of 2

adjective

1
: not childish or immature : adult
2
: of, for, or characteristic of adults
insisted on wearing grown-up clothes

grown-up

2 of 2

noun

: adult

Examples of grown-up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Think grown-up and cool, rather than twee and cute. Hannah Coates, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2024 The trick is to avoid pairing it with an outfit that’s overly girly or candy-colored—think grown-up and cool, rather than twee and sweet. Hannah Coates, Glamour, 6 Feb. 2024 Perhaps Pitchfork matters today because its arc parallels that of the internet itself, from nerdy and amateurish to grown-up, worldly, and inclusive, to now gated off in a Babel of AI-age confusion. Marc Hogan, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2024 But children’s fate, through the passage of years is to become grown-up or else dead. Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 Teresa Giudice’s daughters are all grown-up and showing off their personal styles! Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023 Hilarity ensued, but also — for a little kid, at least — brief glimpses of real life that felt deliciously grown-up. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 Heading into winter, however, things are looking a lot more sophisticated and grown-up. Elle Turner, Glamour, 7 Nov. 2023 Get The Recipe 50 of 60 Sweet Potato Stacks This grown-up, gorgeous version of your favorite sweet potato casserole is perfect for personal portioning. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2023
Noun
Reportedly shot for less than $100,000, this tale of Pooh and Piglet all grown-up and running amok recently opened to box office success in Mexico and is currently playing on cinema screens around America. Clark Collis, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grown-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grown-up was in 1633

Dictionary Entries Near grown-up

Cite this Entry

“Grown-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grown-up. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

grown-up

adjective
ˈgrō-ˌnəp
grown-up noun

More from Merriam-Webster on grown-up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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