Meaning & use
early adopters
Last updated
Meanings
nounplural
People who start using a new product, technology, or idea before most other people do.
Grammar: Always plural; for one person say 'an early adopter'.
Patterns
- early adopters of something
- among early adopters
- attract early adopters
The first version of the app was popular with early adopters.
Early adopters of electric cars often installed chargers at home.
Companies study early adopters to learn what ordinary buyers will want next.
nounpluralbusiness
In business and marketing, the first group of customers who buy a new product, seen as a stage before the majority.
Grammar: Often used as a fixed phrase in market research; takes a plural verb.
Patterns
- target early adopters
- the early adopter market
- early adopters and laggards
Marketing teams often target early adopters before a wider launch.
The report divides buyers into innovators, early adopters, and the majority.
Early adopters are usually willing to pay more for something new.
Word forms
| singular | early adopter |
|---|
Common combinations
- early adopters of new technology
- Early adopters of new technology often accept bugs and high prices.
- attract early adopters
- A low launch price can attract early adopters.
- among early adopters
- The device became popular among early adopters.
- early adopter market
- The early adopter market is small but influential.
Synonyms and how they differ
- innovators
- Innovators are the very first users, even more eager than early adopters; in marketing models they come one stage earlier.
- pioneers
- Pioneers suggests people who open up something new, often with more risk and effort than early adopters.
- first users
- A plain, general phrase; it lacks the business sense of a recognized buyer group.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: early adopters or adapters?
early adopters vs adapters
Adapters are devices that let different things connect; adopters are people who take up something new.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'early adopters' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Early adopters' is a plural noun phrase and takes a plural verb, as in option 2. Option 1 wrongly adds 'an' before a plural, option 3 mixes the singular 'an' with the plural form, and option 4 uses the phrase as an adjective before a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “early adopters”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.