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
Funding Love Fest: A family-friendly fundraising event in support of Funding Love, an adoption nonprofit that supports adoptive families and birth moms post-adoption, with food trucks, games, prizes, carnival fare, DJ, and more.
—
Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 July 2025
In the end, the wellbeing of a child in an adoptive household, no matter what the configuration of parents, matters most.
—Taylor Grothe, Parents, 30 July 2025
They were killed, and his newborn granddaughter was stolen and later found with an adoptive family in Uruguay.
—Julia M. Klein, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025
So, if this new movie Superman's biological parents were kinda evil, what about his adoptive folks?
—James Grebey, Time, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for adoptive
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Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 July 2025
In the end, the wellbeing of a child in an adoptive household, no matter what the configuration of parents, matters most.
—Taylor Grothe, Parents, 30 July 2025
They were killed, and his newborn granddaughter was stolen and later found with an adoptive family in Uruguay.
—Julia M. Klein, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025
So, if this new movie Superman's biological parents were kinda evil, what about his adoptive folks?
—James Grebey, Time, 11 July 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 3 Aug. 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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