Grown-up
What it means
Mature, responsible, and suitable for an adult.
Reach for it when describing behavior or judgment as mature and responsibly adult
Her grown-up response focused on repair instead of blame.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| literary |
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everyday
adult
Fits when age category or adult suitability is what matters
Careful Adult can mean explicit content and does not automatically imply responsibility.
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everyday
Fits when a practical choice needs modest approval
Careful Sensible describes one decision and may not support a claim of maturity.
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warm
Fits when calm judgment under pressure is central
Careful Levelheaded misses independence, accountability, and other aspects of adult conduct.
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professional
Fits when sound emotional judgment is the specific quality
Careful Mature also applies to development, flavor, or content, which can blur the adult-behavior sense.
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professional
Fits when reliable ownership of duties deserves the praise
Careful Responsible behavior may be shown by a child and is not synonymous with being grown-up.
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literary
Fits when experience and social sophistication are intended
Careful Worldly can imply cynicism or privilege rather than ethical maturity.
Opposites 3
- childish
- immature
- irresponsible
Common phrases 3
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grown-up response
A grown-up response begins by acknowledging the harm.
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grown-up conversation
They had a grown-up conversation about the project's limits.
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feel grown-up
Managing her first budget made the apprentice feel grown-up.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Grown-up can patronize adults or imply that children cannot show maturity. Name the responsible behavior when possible.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Flame, not lame, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated