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

One Burger King ad shows Grogu (also known as Baby Yoda) and his adoptive father, the Mandalorian, walking into a cantina, where a Burger King employee is showing off a tray of food. —Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026

Maisey, played by the phenomenal Lark White, is Black, and her shy adoptive father, Wayne (Ben Beckley), has never talked to her about her birth parents or even about race. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026

Their connection is immediate, kicking off a story that finds the Mando going from protector of this little guy Grogu to mission teammate to adoptive father. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 May 2026

Raise the Future offers Family Support Services that provide in-home counseling for foster, adoptive, and kinship families. —Libby Smith, CBS News, 20 May 2026

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)