Adopters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or organizations that accept and integrate new concepts, technologies, or practices into their existing systems
2. Groups or persons who begin using or endorsing innovative ideas, products, or methods following their initial release
3. People or entities that begin to use or support newly introduced ideas or technologies

Etymology: "Adopters" is the plural of "adopter", a noun formed in English by adding the agent suffix "-er" to the verb "adopt". "Adopt" came into English from Latin "adoptare", meaning to choose or take up, built from "ad-" (to) and "optare" (to choose). The suffix has a longer lineage: it passed from Latin "-arius" through Old French "-ier" into Middle English "-er", and it traces back to Old English "-ere", which marked a person who performs an action. Because the agent suffix was already productive in English, "adopter" needed no special coinage. It simply names whoever takes something up, whether a person, a company, or an organisation. Its plural, "adopters", is therefore just the ordinary plural of a suffixed noun, and the phrase "early adopters" is what gives the word its current technology sense.

Synonyms: supporters, fans, advocates, champions, enthusiasts

Antonyms: rejectors, opponents, detractors, disbelievers, abandoners