adult 1 of 2

noun

Definition of adultnext
as in grown-up
a fully grown person at the beach, the adults sat under broad umbrellas while the children splashed in the water

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

adult

2 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈdəlt How to pronounce adult (audio)
1
as in mature
relating to or typical of adults; displaying proper maturity an adult reaction to the issue

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pornographic
dealing in or with explicitly sexual material an adult magazine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in matured
fully grown or developed insects that are butterflies in their adult stage

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adult
Noun
Nice, petit bourgeois adults sought out the Kelly and their other bags. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026 California recorded the nation’s largest net loss of Gen Z adults in 2024, shedding roughly 58,109 young adults, according to a new LendingTree report analyzing the latest available Census data. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
Adjective
Justin Vernon’s midwestern charm and pliable falsetto has always endeared him to indie-rock dads raised on Michael McDonald, but starting a family himself between Bon Iver projects turned this year’s Sable, Fable into a deep examination of the fatherly adult contemporary figure in popular music. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025 Corrigan has also appeared in independent non-adult films such as Chillerama and appeared in Gus Van Sant’s Harvey Milk biopic Milk. — Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for adult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adult
  1. grown-up
  2. mature
  3. pornographic
  4. matured
  5. elder
  6. erotic
  7. ripe
Noun
  • Chestnut red is an ingenue all grown-up—matured past apricots and strawberry blonde into something more capable and authoritative.
    — Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Oct. 2026
  • For families While the vibe is much more honeymoon-y and grown-up than many of Bangkok’s other stays in the same price range, families are still very welcome.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of grown-up
Adjective
  • As post-Covid debts mature, a record share of poor countries net-repaid the IMF in 2026 – a drain set to widen by 2030.
    — Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • That rhythm can be useful for mature companies with predictable earnings and clear public market sponsorship.
    — Jeff Jacobs, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of mature
Adjective
  • On the day of the $50 million demand, a WeChat chat on one of her phones shows pornographic images arriving and being sent back with Victim-1’s face grafted on, the complaint says.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The filing follows a separate legal battle launched by Meloni in 2024 against a man accused of creating and posting deepfake pornographic images using her likeness.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of pornographic
Adjective
  • Think of this as the matured version of the Kool-Aid dip-dye technique.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025
Definition of matured
Noun
  • Fawn Youngbear-Tibbetts, the group's executive director, said then that recordings of elders' stories on old tapes were likely melted.
    — Eric Henderson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The day of the shooting, after Roberts took his own life at the scene, while the victims were flown to the nearest hospital, an Amish elder publicly forgave Roberts before the news cameras.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of elder
Adjective
  • Their research included the study of the erotic novels penned by Spanish writer and fashion designer Álvaro Retana, who also wrote lyrics for saucy songs of the type that Cruz performs in La Bola Negra.
    — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Raymond Horsch, who once lived in the house and died last year, was an erotic filmmaker whose work depicted violent themes, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
    — Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of erotic
Adjective
  • This season, bold knits and unexpected color pairings are ripe for the picking, courtesy of Tory Burch.
    — Ciarra Lorren Zatorski, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Sense and Sensibility Sense and Sensibility was already ably adapted by Ang Lee and Emma Thompson, but Jane Austen’s work is ripe to return to over and over again.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of ripe

Browse Nearby Words

adulatory
adult
adulterant
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Cite this Entry

“Adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adult. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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