(slang) Activities typically associated with adulthood.
“A day of being "productive" out in the Big Blue Room, aka adulting and whatnot. Necessary spoon-spend, tomorrow is another day.”
““I took a timeout from adulting to do a quick thing””
Add your own interpretation of "adulting".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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Oggi talmente tanto adulting che sto parlando di investimenti.
“Hardest part of adulting for me now is trying to decide how I want to beg for fiscal reprieve and worrying if asking for help is inappropriate, a bad thing, or a sign of my incompetence as an adult.”
“I just finished paying off my credit cards. All that damn money. I hate adulting.”
“1300 bucks later and a new stove is on its way. Stupid adulting.”
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(nonstandard) Adultery.
"adulting" means adultery. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"adulting" is informal English meaning adultery. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "adultery" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "adulting" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“It'll all still be here when you're ready :D I'm in a similar position ATM but not from exams etc., just 'that stage in adulting' ;P”
“Kissing puffins, because adulting is optional even for seabirds”
“Oggi talmente tanto adulting che sto parlando di investimenti.”
“Adulting is a comedy podcast hosted by Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos and produced by WNYC Studios.”
“Adulting is a neologism for growing up that became popular on English-speaking social media in the second half of the 2010s.”
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