grown

IPA/ɡrəʊn/
KK[ɡrˈon]IPA/ɡrəʊn/

grown — adjective

  • grownpositive
  • grownercomparative
  • grownestsuperlative

1. having reached the stage in life where your body and mind have finished developi

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

having reached the stage in life where your body and mind have finished developing; no longer a child

Example

Wren has two grown children who both live abroad now.

collocation: grown children (adult offspring)

Adaeze is a grown woman and can make her own decisions.

Common collocations
  • grown children
  • grown man
  • grown woman
  • grown cat/dog
  • grown son/daughter
Synonyms
  • adult

    more formal and can also serve as a noun; preferred in legal and medical contexts

  • mature

    emphasizes emotional and mental development rather than just physical age

  • fully-grown

    stresses that physical development is complete; common for animals

  • grown-up

    informal alternative; also used as a noun ('the grown-ups')

Antonyms
  • young

    opposite end of the age spectrum

  • immature

    lacking the expected emotional or mental development of an adult

  • juvenile

    technical or legal term for a young person or animal

Grammar Patterns

grown + noun

Usage Note

Almost always used before a noun (attributive position). When placed after a linking verb, an adverb such as 'fully' or 'all' is needed: 'The puppies are fully grown,' not 'The puppies are grown.'

Common Mistakes

When the dog is grown, we can adopt another one.
When the dog is fully grown, we can adopt another one.
After a linking verb, 'fully grown' is preferred; 'grown' alone sounds incomplete.
She is a grown up woman now.
She is a grown woman now.
'Grown' alone already means adult; adding 'up' is redundant before a noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe someone who is no longer a child, but they differ in register, scope, and typical usage. 'Grown' is an attributive adjective that appears mainly before nouns ('grown children'), and carries a warm, family-oriented tone. 'Adult' is the most neutral and formal term — it functions as both adjective and noun, and is preferred in legal, medical, and educational writing. 'Mature' goes beyond physical age to describe emotional or intellectual development; a person can be legally an adult but described as 'not very mature.' 'Grown-up' is the informal everyday word that young children use ('when I'm a grown-up'), and can also be a noun. 'Fully-grown' emphasises that an animal or person has completed physical development — it is the natural choice for describing pets and wildlife ('a fully-grown golden retriever'). Choosing among them depends on whether you need formality (adult), warmth (grown), or precision about physical development (fully-grown).

grown ↗adult ↗mature ↗grown-up ↗fully-grown ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • grown-ups

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Grown' comes from the past participle of the verb 'grow,' which traces back to Old English 'grōwan' (to grow, flourish). That word comes from Proto-Germanic '*grōaną,' which in turn comes from Proto-Indo-European '*ghre-' (to grow, become green). The adjective sense — meaning having reached full development — appeared in English around the 14th century.