adult

Also known as grown up, adults

An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of adult is an organism that has reached sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction.

AI overview

An adult is an animal that has reached full growth and sexual maturity, making it capable of reproduction. This matters because it marks a significant biological milestone that distinguishes organisms at different life stages and affects their role in populations and ecosystems.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

9,681,053 papers

Attachment and psychotherapy.ReviewCurrent opinion in psychology · 2019Slade A, Holmes JDOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.06.008
[Adult's heart failure].ReviewLa Revue du praticien · 2014Ambrosi P, Habib G
Middle aged and older adult's perspectives of their own home environment: a review of qualitative studies and meta-synthesis.BMC geriatrics · 2023Aclan R, George S, Block H et al.DOI: 10.1186/s12877-023-04279-1
[Adult's outcome of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and its predictive factors (review)].ReviewBeijing da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Peking University. Health sciences · 2007Li YL, Qian QJ, Wang YF
[Adult's heart failure].ReviewLa Revue du praticien · 2012Trochu JN
Keeping the older adult's voice central in research and practice.Journal of gerontological nursing · 2014Kolanowski AM, Barksdale DJDOI: 10.3928/00989134-20140918-01
The Child Life Imperative in Adult Palliative Care.ReviewJournal of pain and symptom management · 2026Fine RL, Feldman TP, McDonald CL et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.11.019
Adult's perception of health care after myocardial infarction.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2020Paz VP, Mantovani MF, Mercês NNAD et al.DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0074

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Subclass of: organism
Image: Eugène Delacroix - Les Natchez, 1835 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)FXD.jpg
Said to be same as: adulthood

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Adults
opposite of: juvenile
has characteristic: adulthood
female form of label: доросла
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~20 min read

Encyclopedic overview

6 sections

Contents

Biological adulthood
Legal adulthood
Social construction of adulthood
Religion
See also
References

An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of adult is an organism that has reached sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction.

In the human context, the term adult has meanings associated with legal and social concepts. In contrast to a non-adult or "minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of majority and is therefore regarded as independent, self-sufficient, and responsible. They may also be regarded as "majors". The typical age of attaining adulthood for humans is 18 years, although definition may vary by country. A person may be physically mature and a biological adult by age 16 or so, but not defined as an adult by law until older ages. For example, in the US, you cannot join the armed forces or vote until age 18, and you cannot take on many legal and financial responsibilities until age 21.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “adult” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Available in 98 languages

Show 79 more

via Wikidata sitelinks · CC0