adoptive
adjective
adop·tive
ə-ˈdäp-tiv 
1
: made or acquired by adoption
the adoptive father
2
: of or relating to adoption
adoptively
adverb
Examples of adoptive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt had a fling with Jennifer Walters in She-Hulk and popped up in a flashback in Echo to fight Maya Lopez, who shot out the eye of her adoptive uncle (and later failed mentor), Fisk, in Hawkeye.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
And then some, particularly around what 90 years ago became his adoptive hometown of Kansas City.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2025
The child said their adoptive grandparents forced them to exercise, running up and down a flight of stairs 200 times.
—Teri Figueroa, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025
Carpenter starred opposite Hall, 54, in all 96 episodes of Dexter from 2006 to 2013, portraying the adoptive sister of his character.
—Nicholas Rice, People.com, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adoptive
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Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
And then some, particularly around what 90 years ago became his adoptive hometown of Kansas City.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2025
The child said their adoptive grandparents forced them to exercise, running up and down a flight of stairs 200 times.
—Teri Figueroa, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025
Carpenter starred opposite Hall, 54, in all 96 episodes of Dexter from 2006 to 2013, portraying the adoptive sister of his character.
—Nicholas Rice, People.com, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adoptive
Cite this Entry
“Adoptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adoptive. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adoptive
adjective
adop·tive
ə-ˈdäp-tiv
: made by or associated with adoption
the adoptive parents
Legal Definition
adoptive
adjective
adop·tive
ə-ˈdäp-tiv
1
a
: having adopted
an adoptive parent
b
: having been adopted
an adoptive child
2
: made or acquired by accepting as one's own the words or actions of another
to constitute an adoptive admission…defendant must actually understand what was said and have an opportunity to deny it—United States v. White, 766 F. Supp. 873 (1991)
United States v. White, 766 F. Supp. 873 (1991)Love words? Need even more definitions?
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