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
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 See More

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 10 Dec. 2023.

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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