Grown-up
adj.thoughtful, capableeveryday
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.
Choose between these
6- everyday
adult
age category or adult suitability is what matters
not when Adult can mean explicit content and does not automatically imply responsibility.
- everyday
a practical choice needs modest approval
not when Sensible describes one decision and may not support a claim of maturity.
- warm
calm judgment under pressure is central
not when Levelheaded misses independence, accountability, and other aspects of adult conduct.
- professional
sound emotional judgment is the specific quality
not when Mature also applies to development, flavor, or content, which can blur the adult-behavior sense.
- professional
reliable ownership of duties deserves the praise
not when Responsible behavior may be shown by a child and is not synonymous with being grown-up.
- literary
experience and social sophistication are intended
not when Worldly can imply cynicism or privilege rather than ethical maturity.
Said against
3- childish
- immature
- irresponsible
It naturally appears in
3- grown-up response
A grown-up response begins by acknowledging the harm.
- grown-up conversation
They had a grown-up conversation about the project's limits.
- feel grown-up
Managing her first budget made the apprentice feel grown-up.
Where this comes from
Grown-up can patronize adults or imply that children cannot show maturity. Name the responsible behavior when possible.
- Wiktionary, English adjective sense: mature or characteristic of an adult opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.