adjective
-
acquired or related by adoption
an adoptive father
-
of or relating to adoption Compare adopted
Usage
Although adoptive in the sense “acquired or related by adoption” can refer to either parent or child in such a relationship, adoptive is customarily applied to the parent ( her adoptive mother ) and adopted to the child ( their adopted son ).
Other Word Forms
- adoptively adverb
- unadoptive adjective
- unadoptively adverb
Etymology
Origin of adoptive
1400–50; < Latin adoptīvus; adopt, -ive; replacing late Middle English adoptife < Middle French adoptif
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There were problems Interchronological Rescues never wanted to talk about, never wanted the prospective adoptive parents to know about.”
From Literature
Anna, from north Wales, has spoken out after a BBC report found adoptive parents struggling with children who had often suffered abuse and neglect before being removed from their birth families.
From BBC
A number of witnesses were called including their own baby, Jessie, and her adoptive mother, Mrs Ball.
From BBC
Atonio, who was born in New Zealand, qualified to play for France through residency and made 68 appearances for his adoptive country.
From BBC
All their adoptive parents have agreed that Elsa who is now nearly two, brother Harry, 8 and sister Roman, 6 should have regular meetings as they grow up.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
