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
ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
That meant the Eisenhower administration, acting as the adult in the room, could pressure them economically by refusing to backstop a rescue for the pound.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
Tickets are $10 for non-adult guests, free for hotel guests and non-guest children under age 12, with proceeds benefiting Give Kids the World, a nonprofit resort providing vacations to ill children and their families.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adult
Noun
Calvin Chiu, the chief operating officer of Novautek Autonomous Driving, AGIBOT's agent in Hong Kong, said that the robot can provide emotional satisfaction to humans through conversations and serve as a teacher to older adults and children.
—ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
That meant the Eisenhower administration, acting as the adult in the room, could pressure them economically by refusing to backstop a rescue for the pound.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The junior car had gotten seriously adult.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2025
Tickets are $10 for non-adult guests, free for hotel guests and non-guest children under age 12, with proceeds benefiting Give Kids the World, a nonprofit resort providing vacations to ill children and their families.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 21 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
-
This time around, BTS wanted to reclaim some of that old sound, albeit in a more mature form.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
13 Apr. 2026
-
This process works best on young weeds and may require several sessions for mature weeds with large taproots.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This material included thousands of pornographic deepfakes that Kamnik had generated using AI tools.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Police are investigating reports that Lake Zurich High School students used artificial intelligence to generate pornographic images of classmates, district officials said.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Think of this as the matured version of the Kool-Aid dip-dye technique.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Respect for elders is being replaced by resentment of elders.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Fatou, the world’s oldest gorilla living in captivity, rang in her 69th birthday with a celebratory spread fit for a beloved elder — no cake required.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Good Bones, which will be developed for Prime Video, is described as an erotic thriller set in the world of country music.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The museum displays some 4,000 pieces of erotic art that owner Naomi Wilzig has collected over the years.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Start the day with gallo pinto (Costa Rican rice and beans) served with two eggs cooked to your liking, fresh cheese, ripe plantains, and sour cream or go for avocado toast, pancakes, or artisanal yogurt.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The Surrealist attitude of treating everyday objects as subjects or tools for art meant that clothing was ripe for novel creative innovation.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adult. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
