adopter

IPA/əˈdɒptə(r)/
KK[ədˈɑptɚ]IPA/əˈdɑːptər/

adopter — noun

1. someone who picks up a newly released product, idea, or piece of technology, esp

1.nounC1
Definition

someone who picks up a newly released product, idea, or piece of technology, especially earlier than most other people.

Example

Faisal was an early adopter of electric cars and has been driving one since 2015.

collocation: early adopter of [technology]

Hospitals are usually slow adopters of new software because patient data must stay safe.

collocation: slow adopter of

Common collocations
  • early adopter
  • late adopter
  • slow adopter
  • first adopter
  • mass adopter
Synonyms
  • user

    much broader; doesn't imply being among the first

  • pioneer

    stronger — suggests creating or championing, not just using

  • trailblazer

    informal and praising; emphasises leading others

Antonyms
  • laggard

    marketing term for someone who adopts last, often reluctantly

  • holdout

    someone who refuses to switch even when most others have

Grammar Patterns

adopter of [product/technology]

Usage Note

Almost always preceded by a speed-related modifier such as 'early', 'late', 'slow', or 'first'; a bare 'adopter' on its own sounds incomplete.

Common Mistakes

She is an adopter of the new phone.
She is an early adopter of the new phone.
without a modifier like 'early/late/first', the noun feels unfinished in tech contexts.

2. an adult who legally takes another person's child into their family and raises t

2.nounC1
Definition

an adult who legally takes another person's child into their family and raises that child as their own.

Example

Eitan and his husband became the adopters of two siblings from the local children's home.

structure: become the adopter(s) of [child]

The agency runs a weekend course to prepare new adopters for life with a traumatised toddler.

collocation: prepare adopters for

Common collocations
  • prospective adopter
  • approved adopter
  • single adopter
  • first-time adopter
Synonyms
  • adoptive parent

    warmer, more personal; standard in family contexts

  • foster parent

    different role — temporary care, no legal transfer of parenthood

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

[the] adopter of [child]

Usage Note

Used mostly in legal, social-work, or news writing; in everyday speech people more often say 'adoptive parent' or simply 'parent'.

Common Mistakes

My adopters love me very much.
My adoptive parents love me very much.
within a family, the warm everyday term is 'adoptive parent', not 'adopter'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

In technology and marketing contexts, 'adopter' is the neutral, classifying word — it places someone on a timeline of who started using a product first, second, or last, and almost always travels with a modifier like 'early' or 'late'. 'User' is much broader: every adopter is a user, but a user is simply anyone who uses the thing, regardless of when they joined. 'Pioneer' is stronger and more admiring — pioneers don't just use a new technology, they help create or champion it, often taking real risks. 'Trailblazer' is informal and openly praising; it suggests cutting a path that others will follow. So you can say 'Faisal was an early adopter of electric cars' (factual), but only 'Elon Musk is a pioneer of electric cars' (achievement-based).

adopter ↗user ↗pioneer ↗trailblazer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • adopter family
  • adopter community

Phrases

  • early adopter
  • late adopter
  • first-time adopter
  • prospective adopter

Prepositions

  • adopter of

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the verb 'adopt' (which entered English from Latin 'adoptare', meaning 'to choose for oneself', via Old French) plus the agent suffix '-er' meaning 'one who does'. So an adopter is literally 'one who chooses (a child or new thing) for themselves'. The child-related sense is older; the technology-and-business sense, especially in 'early adopter', spread widely after the 1962 sociology study 'Diffusion of Innovations'.