adult

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Pronunciation

• (RP, Canada) IPA: /ˈæd.ʌlt/, /ˈæd.əlt/
• (America, Canada) IPA: /əˈdʌlt/, /ˈæd.əlt/

Noun

adult (plural adults)

1. A fully grown human or animal.
2. A person who has reached the legal age of majority.

Synonyms

• (fully grown human or animal) grown up; see also Thesaurus:adult

Translations

• French: adulte, grande personne
• German: Erwachsener, Erwachsene
• Italian: adulto, adulta
• Portuguese: adulto, adulta
• Russian: взро́слый
• Spanish: adulto, adulta

Adjective

adult

1. Fully grown.

   an adult human, animal, or plant

2. Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children.

   adult clothes

   • 1973, Marshall Kaplan, Gans, and Kahn, Children and the urban environment (page 21)

     In May 1967 the WGBH Education Division submitted an initial proposal to HUD for a series of four adult television documentaries on conservation in an urban environment.

3. Containing material of an explicit sexual nature; of, or pertaining to, pornography.

   an adult movie

   This program contains adult content. Parental discretion is advised.

4. Vulgar or profane.

Synonyms

• (fully grown) big, fully grown, grown up; see also Thesaurus:full-grown
• (intended for adults) grown up; see also Thesaurus:adultlike or Thesaurus:for adults
• (containing explicit sexual material) pornographic, X-rated, XXX, XXXX; see also Thesaurus:pornographic
• (vulgar) blue, indecent, obscene, salacious; see also Thesaurus:obscene

Related terms

• adolescent
• adulthood

Translations

• French: adulte
• German: erwachsen
• Italian: adulto, adulta
• Portuguese: adulto
• Russian: взро́слый
• Spanish: adulto

Translations

• Italian: per adulti
• Russian: для взрослый

Verb

adult (adults, present participle adulting; past and past participle adulted) (transitive)

1. (nonstandard, rare) To (cause to) be or become an adult.
   • 1974, Occasional Papers (Syracuse University), issues 42-46, page 5:

     Womanhood was achieved at twenty-one, when the female was "adulted"; manhood was fully achieved at twenty-five, […]

2. (informal) To behave like an adult.

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