1
: not childish or immature : adult
2
: of, for, or characteristic of adults
insisted on wearing grown-up clothes
Synonyms
Examples of grown-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Featuring 812 pieces, the intricate set is grown-up friendly and available at select retailers.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023
The pieces felt intrinsically grown-up, but also as if they were created to explore feelings that come up when one is being pulled down two separate paths.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 15 Sep. 2023
Being ready to entertain and prepping your space accordingly is an easy way to make your apartment feel all grown-up.
—Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 31 Aug. 2023
When the designer, who died today at 93, burst onto the scene in the mid-1950s, fashion was still stuffy, starchy, and decidedly grown-up.
—Véronique Hyland, ELLE, 14 Apr. 2023
They're all grown-up!
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2023
Clark Collis, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
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Adjective
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
Featuring 812 pieces, the intricate set is grown-up friendly and available at select retailers.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023
The pieces felt intrinsically grown-up, but also as if they were created to explore feelings that come up when one is being pulled down two separate paths.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 15 Sep. 2023
Being ready to entertain and prepping your space accordingly is an easy way to make your apartment feel all grown-up.
—Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 31 Aug. 2023
When the designer, who died today at 93, burst onto the scene in the mid-1950s, fashion was still stuffy, starchy, and decidedly grown-up.
—Véronique Hyland, ELLE, 14 Apr. 2023
They're all grown-up!
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 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
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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
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 10 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on grown-up
Nglish: Translation of grown-up for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of grown-up for Arabic Speakers
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