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

Court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that Troy's adoptive mother, Tiffany Thomas, 38, has been charged with injury to a child under 15 b/injury. —Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025

In July 2022, Troy was reported missing by his adoptive father, Jermaine Thomas, KHOU reported. —Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2025

Crushed and humiliated, Rumi flees the stage and confronts her adoptive mother, Celine (Yunjin Kim), begging for an end to it all. —Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 31 July 2025

In season one, the events on Cassian’s adoptive home planet, Ferrix, help radicalize him, ultimately turning him into a leader within the resistance movement. —Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC news, 15 July 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)