An adoptee is a person who has been legally adopted, meaning they became part of a family that didn't give birth to them. When a child is adopted, they gain all the legal rights and relationships of being born into that family: they have parents who chose to raise them, and often siblings, grandparents, and cousins too.

Adoptees come into families in many different ways. Some are adopted as babies, others as older children. Some are adopted by relatives, like when grandparents or aunts and uncles become legal parents. Some adoptees grow up knowing about their adoption from the start, while others learn about it later. Many adoptees feel curious about their birth families and where they came from, which is a natural part of understanding their own story.

The word focuses on the legal relationship: an adoptee has been formally and permanently welcomed into a family through the legal system, creating bonds just as real as any other family. Famous adoptees include Steve Jobs, who co-founded Apple. Being an adoptee is simply one way that families come together, and adoptees contribute to the world in every possible way.