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
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Recent Examples of adult
Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Elsewhere in the world lived terror birds taller than an adult human, wombats the size of cars, woolly rhinos, a variety of elephants with unusual tusks and other creatures.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025
Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2023
The first whale found this month, a sub-adult male gray whale, was recovered Jan. 11 in Winchester Bay and was slain by killer whales, according to Milstein.
—oregonlive, 24 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for adult
Noun
The game focuses on themes of searching for identity, both in the superhero sense and in the teenager becoming an adult variety.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Elsewhere in the world lived terror birds taller than an adult human, wombats the size of cars, woolly rhinos, a variety of elephants with unusual tusks and other creatures.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025
Adjective
There has not been a sighting of a calf since 2005, though juvenile and sub-adult whales have been seen more recently, Crance said.
—Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2023
The first whale found this month, a sub-adult male gray whale, was recovered Jan. 11 in Winchester Bay and was slain by killer whales, according to Milstein.
—oregonlive, 24 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for adult
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adult
Adjective
-
That’s a mature skill most people her age aren’t thinking about.—
Beth Wood,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 July 2025
-
Kat James Kat James has had a few lives: as a licensed aesthetician, celebrity make-up artist, and beauty educator; she’s also worked with cosmetics companies, dermatologists, and plastic surgeons on mature skincare and patient relations.—
Carmen Rios,
Flow Space,
7 July 2025
Noun
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That comports with the widespread belief that sharp increases in the cost of living during the Biden-Harris administration were a big factor in the pro-Trump shift, as younger voters felt the pinch of inflation more than their elders.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
8 July 2025
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For elders like Midar, separation from ancestral lands and graves represents not just a physical loss but a spiritual wound that may never heal, in a culture where proximity to family graves is key to a cultural sense of good fortune.—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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Studios is out with Alicia Silverstone in erotic thriller Pretty Thing as a successful executive in a torrid affair with a younger man (Karl Glusman) who becomes obsessed with her.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
3 July 2025
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The expansion of the genre tracks the broadening acceptability of erotic inclinations that were previously pathologized (and, at times, criminalized).—
Lily Burana,
The Atlantic,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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When tomatoes are just ripe, Holland advises placing them in the refrigerator for no more than two days to prevent them from getting too soft.—
Logan Holland,
People.com,
5 July 2025
-
Use up ripe bananas in this fun twist on a cobbler.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Adult.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adult. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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