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
Historically, the United States and China have followed the guidelines under the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, and more than 82,000 children have been successfully placed in adoptive families in the U.S.
—
Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
She is best known for her roles in 2003's Thirteen and for playing Rosalie Hale, a vampire and adoptive sister of Robert Pattinson's Edward Cullen, in the Twilight movies.
—Scott Huver, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024
An adoptive mom is going viral for revealing how children adopted at birth can still experience trauma.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
He's lost two sets of parents and has to keep his useless adoptive brother alive and journey to Mele, a mystical place that is believed to be a paradise that many think is just a fairytale told to gullible lion cubs.
—Meredith G. White, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024
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Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
She is best known for her roles in 2003's Thirteen and for playing Rosalie Hale, a vampire and adoptive sister of Robert Pattinson's Edward Cullen, in the Twilight movies.
—Scott Huver, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024
An adoptive mom is going viral for revealing how children adopted at birth can still experience trauma.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
He's lost two sets of parents and has to keep his useless adoptive brother alive and journey to Mele, a mystical place that is believed to be a paradise that many think is just a fairytale told to gullible lion cubs.
—Meredith G. White, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for adoptive
Dictionary Entries Near adoptive
Cite this Entry
“Adoptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adoptive. Accessed 16 Feb. 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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