adj
Meaning 1
Fully grown.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- an adult human, animal, or plant
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
adult
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈæd.ʌlt/
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈæd.əlt/
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England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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/əˈdʌlt/ General American, Maritimes
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/ˈæd.əlt/ General American, Maritimes
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[əˈdʌɫt] General American, Maritimes
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[ˈæɾl̩t] General American, Maritimes
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Canada: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Canada: [əˈdʌɫt]
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Canada: [ˈadʌɫt]
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Ontario, Southern: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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nonstandard: [ˈadʊɫt]
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nonstandard: [ˈad(ə)ɫt]
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nonstandard: [aˈdʌɫt]
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nonstandard: [əˈdʊɫt]
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/əˈdɒlt/ gulf-golf merger
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/ˈæd.ɒlt/ gulf-golf merger
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rhymes with -ʌlt
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CMU ARPABET: AH0 D AH1 L T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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CMU ARPABET 2: AE1 D AH0 L T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- adult clothes; adult cereal; an adult documentary
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
Containing situations or discussions intended primarily for adults, such as serious crime, illicit drug use, extramarital affairs, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- adult situations; adult discussions
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
Containing alcohol, intended for consumption only by adults.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- an adult drink; an adult root beer float
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 5
Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
Containing marijuana, intended for consumption only by adults.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: usually
Qualifier: gummy
Examples
- an adult cookie; adult gummy worms
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 6
Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
Containing material of an explicit sexual nature; pornographic.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- an adult movie
- This program contains adult content. Parental discretion is advised.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 7
Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
Containing excessive vulgar or profane speech, text or images, intended only for adults.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- adult language; an adult cartoon
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 8
Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
Intended for, or restricted to, those who are not young children.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- an adult menu; an adult fare
- Children go free, but for those 12 and up, you must purchase an adult ticket.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
An animal that is full-grown.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A person who has reached the legal age of majority.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To behave like an adult.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, slang
Examples
- Adulting is hard!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 12
To (cause to) be or become an adult.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: nonstandard, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 13
(of animals) fully developed
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- an adult animal
- a grown woman
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: big, full-grown, fully grown, grown, grownup
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 14
designed to arouse lust
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- pornographic films and magazines
- adult movies
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pornographic
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 15
any mature animal
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: animal, animate being, beast, brute, creature, fauna
noun
Meaning 16
a fully developed person from maturity onward
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: grownup
Antonyms: juvenile
Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul
Narrower terms: brachycephalic, caregiver, catch, match, centrist, middle of the roader, moderate, moderationist, character, eccentric, type, case, conservative, conservativist, dolichocephalic, elder, senior, ex-spouse, host, important person, influential person, personage, Jack of all trades, liberal, liberalist, progressive, man, adult male, militarist, warmonger, oldster, old person, senior citizen, golden ager, pacifist, pacificist, disarmer, patrician, pledgee, pledger, professional, professional person, sobersides, sophisticate, man of the world, stay-at-home, homebody, stoic, unemotional person, thoroughbred, woman, adult female
History
Etymology
From French adulte, from Latin adultus (“grown up”), perfect passive participle of adolescō (“to grow up”). Compare adolescent.
Across languages
Translations
225 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Afrikaans: volwasse — fully grown
- Armenian: հասուն (hasun) — fully grown
- Asturian: adultu — fully grown
- Belarusian: даро́слы (darósly) — fully grown
- Bengali: প্রাপ্তবয়স্ক (praptoboẏosko) — fully grown
- Bengali: সাবালক (śabalok) — fully grown
- Bulgarian: въ́зрастен (vǎ́zrasten) — fully grown
- Bulgarian: пълноле́тен (pǎlnoléten) — fully grown
- Catalan: adult — fully grown
- Chinese Mandarin: 成人 (chéngrén) — fully grown
- Czech: dospělý — fully grown
- Dutch: volwassen — fully grown
- Esperanto: plenkreska — fully grown
- Esperanto: adolta — fully grown
- Estonian: täiskasvanu — fully grown
- Finnish: aikuinen — fully grown
- French: adulte — fully grown
- Galician: adulto — fully grown
- German: erwachsen — fully grown
- Gothic: 𐍆𐌿𐌻𐌻𐌰𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (fullaweis) — fully grown
- Ancient Greek: ἁδρός (hadrós) — fully grown
- Ancient Greek: τέλειος (téleios) — fully grown
- Hindi: वयस्क (vayask) — fully grown
- Hindi: बालिग़ (bāliġ) — fully grown
- Hindi: प्रौढ़ (prauṛh) — fully grown
- Irish: fásta — fully grown
- Irish: aosach — fully grown
- Irish: aosaithe — fully grown
- Italian: adulto — fully grown
- Italian: adulta — fully grown
- Kazakh: кәмелеттік (kämelettık) — fully grown
- Korean: 다 자란 (da jaran) — fully grown
- Latin: pubēs — fully grown
- Latin: puber — fully grown
- Latin: adultus — fully grown
- Latvian: pieaudzis — fully grown
- Lithuanian: suaugusysis — fully grown
- Mirandese: adulto — fully grown
- Mirandese: adulta — fully grown
- Central Sierra Miwok: ˀypé·la- — fully grown
- Polish: dorosły — fully grown
- Polish: dorosła — fully grown
- Portuguese: adulto — fully grown
- Romagnol: adùlt — fully grown
- Romanian: adult — fully grown
- Russian: взро́слый (vzróslyj) — fully grown
- Sanskrit: वृद्ध (vṛddha) — fully grown
- Sanskrit: प्रौढ (prauḍha) — fully grown
- Slovak: dospelý — fully grown
- Slovene: odrasel — fully grown
- Spanish: adulto — fully grown
- Swedish: vuxen — fully grown
- Tagalog: adulto — fully grown
- Tocharian B: śrāy — fully grown
- Turkish: yetişkin — fully grown
- Turkish: ergin — fully grown
- Ukrainian: доро́слий (doróslyj) — fully grown
- Vietnamese: trưởng thành — fully grown
- Volapük: daülik (cf. daül) — fully grown
- Welsh: mewn oed — fully grown
- Bulgarian: за възрастни (za vǎzrastni) — intended for adults
- Finnish: aikuis- — intended for adults
- Finnish: aikuisille suunnattu — intended for adults
- Irish: aosach — intended for adults
- Irish: d'aosaigh — intended for adults
- Italian: per adulti — intended for adults
- Korean: 성인의 (seong'inui) — intended for adults
- Macedonian: за возрасни (za vozrasni) — intended for adults
- Polish: dla dorosłych — intended for adults
- Russian: для взро́слых (dlja vzróslyx) — intended for adults
- Serbo-Croatian: za odrasle — intended for adults
- Swedish: vuxen- — intended for adults
- Turkish: yetişkin — intended for adults
- Welsh: (i) oedolion — intended for adults
- Afrikaans: grootmens — fully grown human
- Afrikaans: volwassene — fully grown human
- Albanian: i rritur — fully grown human
- Arabic: بَالِغ (bāliḡ) — fully grown human
- Arabic: رَاشِد (rāšid) — fully grown human
- Armenian: մեծահասակ (mecahasak) — fully grown human
- Armenian: չափահաս (čʻapʻahas) — fully grown human
- Asturian: adultu — fully grown human
- Asturian: adulta — fully grown human
- Azerbaijani: yaşlı adam — fully grown human
- Azerbaijani: yetkin — fully grown human
- Belarusian: даро́слы (darósly) — fully grown human
- Belarusian: даро́слая (daróslaja) — fully grown human
- Bengali: প্রাপ্তবয়স্ক (praptoboẏosko) — fully grown human
- Bengali: সাবালক (śabalok) — fully grown human
- Bulgarian: въ́зрастен (vǎ́zrasten) — fully grown human
- Bulgarian: въ́зрастна (vǎ́zrastna) — fully grown human
- Burmese: လူကြီး (lu-kri:) — fully grown human
- Catalan: adult — fully grown human
- Catalan: adulta — fully grown human
- Chichewa: mkulu — fully grown human
- Chinese Cantonese: 大人 (daai6 jan4) — fully grown human
- Chinese Mandarin: 成人 (chéngrén) — fully grown human
- Chinese Mandarin: 大人 (dàrén) — fully grown human
- Chinese Mandarin: 成年 (chéngnián) — fully grown human
- Czech: dospělý (cf. dospělák m) — fully grown human
- Czech: dospělá — fully grown human
- Danish: voksen — fully grown human
- Dutch: volwassene — fully grown human
- Esperanto: adolto — fully grown human
- Esperanto: viradolto — fully grown human
- Esperanto: adoltino — fully grown human
- Esperanto: plenkreskulo — fully grown human
- Esperanto: virplenkreskulo — fully grown human
- Esperanto: plenkreskulino — fully grown human
- Estonian: täiskasvanu — fully grown human
- Estonian: täisealine — fully grown human
- Finnish: aikuinen — fully grown human
- French: adulte — fully grown human
- French: grande personne — fully grown human
- French: grand — fully grown human
- Galician: adulto — fully grown human
- Galician: adulta — fully grown human
- Georgian: ზრდასრული (zrdasruli) — fully grown human
- Georgian: სრულწლოვანი (srulc̣lovani) — fully grown human
- Georgian: მოწიფული (moc̣ipuli) — fully grown human
- Georgian: მოზრდილი (mozrdili) — fully grown human
- Georgian: ზრდადამთავრებული (zrdadamtavrebuli) — fully grown human
- Georgian: სრულასაკოვანი (srulasaḳovani) — fully grown human
- German: Erwachsener — fully grown human
- German: Erwachsene — fully grown human
- Greek: ενήλικας (enílikas) — fully grown human
- Greek: ενήλικος (enílikos) — fully grown human
- Haitian Creole: granmoun — fully grown human
- Hebrew: מבוגר \ מְבֻגָּר (mevugár) — fully grown human
- Hebrew: מבוגרת \ מְבֻגֶּרֶת (mevugéret) — fully grown human
- Hindi: वयस्क (vayask) — fully grown human
- Hindi: बालिग़ (bāliġ) — fully grown human
- Hindi: प्रौढ़ (prauṛh) — fully grown human
- Hungarian: felnőtt — fully grown human
- Icelandic: fullorðinn — fully grown human
- Ido: adulto — fully grown human
- Ido: adultulo — fully grown human
- Ido: adultino — fully grown human
- Indonesian: dewasa — fully grown human
- Irish: duine fásta — fully grown human
- Irish: duine aosach — fully grown human
- Irish: duine — fully grown human
- Irish: aosach — fully grown human
- Italian: adulto — fully grown human
- Italian: adulta — fully grown human
- Japanese: 成人 (seijin) — fully grown human
- Japanese: 大人 (otona) — fully grown human
- Jeju: 어룬 (eorun) — fully grown human
- Kazakh: үлкен (ülken) — fully grown human
- Kazakh: ересек (eresek) — fully grown human
- Khmer: មនុស្សពេញវ័យ (mɔɔmɔnuh pɨñ vɨy) — fully grown human
- Korean: 성인 (seong'in) — fully grown human
- Korean: 어른 (eoreun) — fully grown human
- Northern Kurdish: mirovê gihîştî — fully grown human
- Kyrgyz: бойго жеткен (boygo jetken) — fully grown human
- Lao: ຜູ້ໃຫຍ່ (phū h) — fully grown human
- Latin: adultus — fully grown human
- Latin: adulta — fully grown human
- Latvian: pieaugušais — fully grown human
- Lithuanian: suaugęs — fully grown human
- Lithuanian: suaugusi — fully grown human
- Macedonian: возрасен (vozrasen) — fully grown human
- Macedonian: возрасна (vozrasna) — fully grown human
- Malay: dewasa — fully grown human
- Māori: pakeke — fully grown human
- Māori: paheke — fully grown human
- Māori: kātua — fully grown human
- Māori: pāhake — fully grown human
- Mirandese: adulto — fully grown human
- Mirandese: adulta — fully grown human
- Norwegian Bokmål: voksen — fully grown human
- Norwegian Nynorsk: vaksen — fully grown human
- Occitan: adulte — fully grown human
- Odia: ପ୍ରାପ୍ତବୟସ୍କ (prāptabayaska) — fully grown human
- Okinawan: 大人 (ufutchu) — fully grown human
- Pashto: بالغ (bāleǧ) — fully grown human
- Persian: بزرگسال (bozorgsâl) — fully grown human
- Persian: بالغ (bâleġ) — fully grown human
- Persian: کلانسال (kalânsâl) — fully grown human
- Polish: dorosły — fully grown human
- Polish: dorosła — fully grown human
- Polish: osoba dorosła — fully grown human
- Portuguese: adulto — fully grown human
- Portuguese: adulta — fully grown human
- Réunion Creole French: gramoun — fully grown human
- Romagnol: adùlt — fully grown human
- Romanian: adult — fully grown human
- Romanian: adultă — fully grown human
- Russian: взро́слый (vzróslyj) — fully grown human
- Russian: взро́слая (vzróslaja) — fully grown human
- Sanskrit: प्रौढ (prauḍha) — fully grown human
- Serbo-Croatian: о̀дра̄стао — fully grown human
- Serbo-Croatian: пу̏нолетан — fully grown human
- Serbo-Croatian: пу̏нољетан — fully grown human
- Serbo-Croatian: òdrāstao — fully grown human
- Serbo-Croatian: pȕnoletan — fully grown human
- Serbo-Croatian: pȕnoljetan — fully grown human
- Sinhalese: වැඩිහිටියා (wæḍihiṭiyā) — fully grown human
- Slovak: dospelý — fully grown human
- Slovak: dospelá — fully grown human
- Slovene: odrasel — fully grown human
- Slovene: odrasla — fully grown human
- Spanish: adulto — fully grown human
- Spanish: adulta — fully grown human
- Sranan Tongo: bigisma — fully grown human
- Swahili: mtu mzima — fully grown human
- Swedish: vuxen — fully grown human
- Tagalog: maygulang — fully grown human
- Tagalog: nasagulang — fully grown human
- Tagalog: adulto — fully grown human
- Tajik: болиғ (boliġ) — fully grown human
- Thai: ผู้ใหญ่ (pûu-yài) — fully grown human
- Tocharian B: orotstse — fully grown human
- Turkish: yetişkin — fully grown human
- Ukrainian: доро́слий (doróslyj) — fully grown human
- Ukrainian: доро́сла (dorósla) — fully grown human
- Urdu: بالِغ (bāliġ) — fully grown human
- Uzbek: katta yoshli — fully grown human
- Vietnamese: người lớn — fully grown human
- Volapük: daülan — fully grown human
- Volapük: hidaülan — fully grown human
- Volapük: jidaülan — fully grown human
- Welsh: oedolyn — fully grown human
- Woiwurrung: karre-nen — fully grown human
- Yoruba: àgbàlagbà — fully grown human
Real reading context