as in grown-up
a fully grown person
at the beach, the adults sat under broad umbrellas while the children splashed in the water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 22 June 2026
Kids and older adults sometimes have more intense reactions.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 22 June 2026
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 29 Oct. 2025
The junior car had gotten seriously adult.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adult
Noun
Harry Potter beats back evil yet again, this time as an adult.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 22 June 2026
Kids and older adults sometimes have more intense reactions.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 22 June 2026
Adjective
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
The junior car had gotten seriously adult.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adult
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
Adjective
-
Our mature beauty testers are a fan of Round Lab new formula that softens and refines skin, all while offering sun protection.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
23 June 2026
-
Within the Mag 7, Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon have fallen roughly to two-month lows and the underperformance now looks mature, Newton said.—
Justina Lee,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
Adjective
-
Gibson asked for pornographic images of the minor, and sent photos of himself, according to court documents.—
Kendrick Calfee
June 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
-
While Washington drags its feet, kids across the nation are being exposed to vile, pornographic images and ads with no meaningful safeguards to prevent it.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Think of this as the matured version of the Kool-Aid dip-dye technique.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This is so much from oral tradition told to me again by elders.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
Ma grew up watching his family elders play, and was relegated to the kids’ table himself.—
Ashley Parker,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Even if people have no interest in exploring BDSM practices themselves, there is so much to be learned about sexuality from these erotic communities.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
In an Instagram video posted by Quinn, an erotic stories app that Abdalla and her Off Campus co-star Stephen Kalyn recently voiced a narrative for, Abdalla was seen wearing a $39 necklace.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Opponents say the law can be ripe for abuse.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
Any ripe produce should be eaten or refrigerated as soon as possible to prevent fruit flies.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adult. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
