as in adult
a fully grown person
once you turn 12, you get to eat with the grown-ups at Thanksgiving
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in grown
to become mature
everyone has to grow up at some point in their lives
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 grown-up
Photo: Courtesy Of Netflix., Refinery29, 1 Apr. 2025
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors
Jamie Lynn Spears' daughter Maddie is all grown-up — and headed to prom (again)!
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Speaking of mothers: Mary Brown (Mortimer) has been pining for the good old days when her now-teenaged children, Judy (Madeleine Harris ) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), weren’t so grown-up.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2025
The trending assortment of fruity scents are way more complex and grown-up, with far higher concentrations of perfume oil — and therefore longevity.
—Venus Wong, refinery29.com, 31 Jan. 2025
Martin was 10 years old, and Kandee was 13 and seemed so grown-up and glamourous.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
The hotel feels grown-up and staff effusively handle all of your needs with a striking level of gracious humility.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
The new film sees the characters more mature, and the challenges Noah and Nick face steadily become more grown-up.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 26 Dec. 2024
Lesson: Dirty towels, a mattress on the floor, holes in comforters and sheets that do double duty as curtains should not be part of a grown-up’s look.
—Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2024
Clark Collis, EW.com, 16 Feb. 2023
Adjective
In its first season, Andor was cinematic, grown-up, grounded, and urgent, running bold choices or ideas, like deftly examining how oppressive administrations exert their political power.
—Photo: Courtesy Of Netflix., Refinery29, 1 Apr. 2025
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors
Jamie Lynn Spears' daughter Maddie is all grown-up — and headed to prom (again)!
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Speaking of mothers: Mary Brown (Mortimer) has been pining for the good old days when her now-teenaged children, Judy (Madeleine Harris ) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), weren’t so grown-up.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2025
The trending assortment of fruity scents are way more complex and grown-up, with far higher concentrations of perfume oil — and therefore longevity.
—Venus Wong, refinery29.com, 31 Jan. 2025
Martin was 10 years old, and Kandee was 13 and seemed so grown-up and glamourous.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
The hotel feels grown-up and staff effusively handle all of your needs with a striking level of gracious humility.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
The new film sees the characters more mature, and the challenges Noah and Nick face steadily become more grown-up.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 26 Dec. 2024
Lesson: Dirty towels, a mattress on the floor, holes in comforters and sheets that do double duty as curtains should not be part of a grown-up’s look.
—Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2024
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grown-up
Adjective
-
Fast forward 20 minutes after the latest mature words uttered by the Wild’s wily ol’ vet.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
-
The workshop is part of SBCC’s mission to support community engagement for mature adults in Solana Beach, according to a news release.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
About 31% of the cases involve children under 5 years, 38% involve children and teens between 5 and 19, and 29% involve adults.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
19 Apr. 2025
-
By and large, adults should always start by educating themselves before consuming any form of marijuana or hemp product and purchase products from licensed and/or regulated facilities.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The Jordan Brand has grown beyond just a basketball shoe.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
-
But most impressive of all for Chenoweth is seeing how the brand has grown.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grown-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grown-up. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share