informal
: the act or practice of attending to the ordinary tasks required of a responsible adult
… between work, kids, and general adulting, we don't always have a ton of time to make dinner … Justina Huddleston
One of the biggest steps a young person can take toward successful adulting is to look past the short-term of today and begin to plan further out. Mark C. Perna
Hosting a dinner party or get-together can be daunting—especially for young adults hosting for the first time, and even for those with years of adulting experience following a two-year hiatus. PR Newswire
Adult became adulting as a generation entered that period feeling somewhat unprepared, wanting to express that maturity means not only reaching a certain point in your life, but also attending to the concomitant tasks. Caleb Madison

Examples of adulting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Plenty of enticing international series touch down on the platform this month, from season 2 of the Turkish hit Graveyard to the premiere of the Dutch adulting comedy Roosters, featuring rising international star Jeroen Spitzenberger. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2025 All the adulting and parenting fell to me, alone and grieving: coordinating third grade homework, cooking, chauffeuring, reading board books at bedtime, paying the mortgage, picking up dog poop. Charlotte Maya, CNN, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2013, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of adulting was in 2013

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Cite this Entry

“Adulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adulting. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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