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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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
Noun
The union’s foremost demand has been a contract that guarantees wages commensurate with the skyrocketing cost of living for a single adult New Yorker. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 Long-lived healthy adults tend to have microbiomes that are richer in bacterial diversity than those of their chronological peers, with the former having gut bacteria that look more like those of younger, healthier adults. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 5 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
  • 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
Definition of grown-up
Adjective
  • Within premium products, there is a focus on longevity attributes in skin care and elegant, sophisticated makeup products among mature middle-class consumers.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • But the majority of students have been peaceful, and many come off in interviews as almost freakishly mature.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of mature
Adjective
  • 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
  • Current Florida law says a school district can review and remove a book after a complaint has been made that a book is pornographic, obscene or isn’t age appropriate.
    — Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 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
  • If that doesn’t sound heady enough, Neon also has Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, a three-hour movie about the practical application of the Humanitude methodology in a French elder-care facility.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • This could’ve been a story of seasoned elders welcoming a new voice into their fold.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of elder
Adjective
  • And at Mugler, the mood was set before the first look appeared, with screens beaming erotic footage that included mating snails, sweaty skin, a woman’s tongue and two people kissing.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In a multi-studio bidding war, Sheldon sold her next project, an original erotic thriller, to Netflix with Media Res.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of erotic
Adjective
  • The results suggested that the idea of using messenger RNA to train the immune system to attack cancer cells — an approach first devised decades ago — was ripe for further drug development.
    — Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Part of it was due to returning vets, who were very alienated and were suffering from untreated PTSD and were ripe targets for recruitment by white supremacist groups that look for people with these kinds of skills.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of ripe

Browse Nearby Words

adulatory
adult
adulterant
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adult. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nexus

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All