adopted family

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   A family in which one or more members have been legally taken in and raised as one's own child.

   Grammar: Countable noun; plural is 'adopted families'.

   Patterns

   • an adopted family
   • the adopted family
   • adopted families

   She grew up in an adopted family and always felt loved.

   The adopted family welcomed their new child with a big party.

   Many adopted families attend support groups to share experiences.

Word forms

Common combinations

grow up in an adopted family

He grew up in an adopted family after his parents died.

adopted family member

My cousin is an adopted family member and we are very close.

adopted family support

The agency offers adopted family support services.

Synonyms and how they differ

adoptive family

This is the more precise term for the family that adopts a child, while 'adopted family' can also refer to the family a person was adopted into.

forever family

This is an informal, emotional term often used in adoption communities to mean the family that permanently adopts a child.

Opposites

Word family

adopt verb

To legally take someone else's child into your family.

adoption noun

The legal process of taking a child into your family.

adoptive adjective

Describing a parent or family that has adopted a child.

Commonly confused: adopted family or adoptive family?

Practice

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