[Vocabulary] Define

[Maybo]

Responsibility defines adulthood
Adulthood is defined by responsibility.

Are these sentences correct?Would it be in different meaning? I am a bit confused on the usage of 'define'.

 

[emsr2d2]

Responsibility defines adulthood.
Adulthood is defined by responsibility.

Are these sentences correct? (Space required after a question mark.) [STRIKE]Would it be in[/STRIKE] Do they have different meanings? I am a bit confused [STRIKE]on[/STRIKE] about the [STRIKE]usage[/STRIKE] use of 'define'.

Both sentences are correct and mean the same. What is confusing you about "define"?

 

[Maybo]

Both sentences are correct and mean the same. What is confusing you about "define"?

Adulthood is defined by responsibility.
Adulthood is defined by me.

the meanings of define in these two sentence are same?

btw, what's the difference between use and usage?

 

[emsr2d2]

Adulthood is defined by responsibility.
Adulthood is defined by me.

​Is the [STRIKE]meanings[/STRIKE] meaning of "define" in these two sentence [STRIKE]are[/STRIKE] the same?

[STRIKE]btw,[/STRIKE] By the way, what's the difference between use and usage?

The word "defined" means the same but the meaning of the two sentences is not the same. There have been a few explanations on other threads about "use" and "usage". I'll try and track one of them down and post a link here later, unless someone else beats me to it.

 

[Boris Tatarenko]

Apparently, the search function that we used to have here is not longer in operation. But I mananged to find this thread.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/9639-Usage-and-use

 

[teechar]

Apparently, the search function that we used to have here is [STRIKE]not[/STRIKE] no longer in operation. But I managed to find this thread.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/9639-Usage-and-use

.

 

[jutfrank]

Adulthood is defined by me.

This is not right. What do you mean?

 

[Maybo]

This is not right. What do you mean?

Is it mean I decided what the meaning of adulthood?

 

[jutfrank]

Re: usage/use

• usage is the ways in which something can be used, generally
• a use is a specific instance of usage, or the way that something is used

So one thing may have several uses, in that it can be used in several different ways. The totality of these uses can be called its usage. From this, you can understand that where a use is something quite real, usage is altogether more abstract.


One possibly confusing point here is that use can also be used uncountably. Where so, it seems to take on a generalised, and therefore more abstract nature than when used countably, but still less general and less abstract than usage. For example, think: drug usage (as a general concept) compared with Her drug use is increasing (meant generally, but still specific to her, and real).

 

[emsr2d2]

[STRIKE]Is[/STRIKE] Does it mean I decided what the meaning of adulthood is?

You wrote the sentence. What did you think it meant when you wrote it?

 

[Maybo]

You wrote the sentence. What did you think it meant when you wrote it?

I want the sentence means“I decided the meaning of adulthood ”I am not sure if it is correct. So, I am wondering what the meaning of “Adulthood is defined by me” is.

 

[jutfrank]

I want the sentence means“I decided the meaning of adulthood ”I am not sure if it is correct. So, I am wondering what the meaning of “Adulthood is defined by me” is.

If you say this to somebody, it will not mean anything useful to them. It doesn't even have much meaning to you either, apparently, so don't say it.

You may define what adulthood means to you, if you want.