Quick answer
To adapt is to modify something so it fits new circumstances. To adopt is to take something up, unchanged. A company adapts a policy by changing it; it adopts a policy by accepting it as written. One alters, the other accepts.
The core difference
Modify versus accept.
- adapt — modify to fit: adapt the design for smaller rooms.
- adopt — take up as it stands: adopt the new standard, adopt a child.
The related nouns
Adaptation is the modified version — a film adaptation of a novel. Adoption is the taking-up. In evolutionary biology an adaptation is a trait shaped by selection, which is the same idea of fitting to circumstances.
The screen use
A novel is adapted for film, never adopted — the point is that it had to be changed to work in a different medium.
Frequently asked questions
Which one means to modify?
Adapt. Adopt means to take something up as it is.
Is a film an adaptation or an adoption?
An adaptation — the material was changed to work in a new medium.
What does adaptation mean in biology?
A trait shaped by selection to suit an environment — the same idea of fitting to circumstances.
