A1noun 1K

Adult

UK /["/ˈædʌlt//əˈdʌlt/"]/ US /["/əˈdʌlt//ˈædʌlt/"]/ Pronunciation

Definition

a fully grown person who is legally responsible for their actions

Listen to definition

In simple words: A grown-up person.

Examples

• Children must be accompanied by an adult.
• I simply can't believe that responsible adults allowed a child to wander the streets.
• Why can't you two act like civilized adults?
• The obesity rate among adults has actually increased.
• The number of single adult households has doubled in the past 30 years.
• This book will definitely appeal to teenagers and young adults.
• What consenting adults do in private is their own business.
• The fish return to the river as adults in order to breed.

Usage notes

Use 'adult' when talking about someone who is fully grown and not a child. It's appropriate in everyday conversation and formal contexts, but may not be used when discussing young individuals still in school.

Listen to usage notes

Grammar pattern

standalone noun

Memory hint

Think of 'adult' as having 'a-dult' — imagine a big adult doing duties.

Collocations

• young
• single
• consenting
• education
• literacy
• population

Synonyms

• grown-up2

Antonyms

• child
• teenager

Common mistakes

• Confused with 'adulthood' which refers to the state of being an adult.
• Incorrectly used as an adjective (e.g., 'adult movie' is appropriate, but not 'adult person').