R-rated

adjective

Of a motion picture, having an "R rating" from one more motion picture rating authorities, typically meaning it is suitable only for adults.

Similar
adult
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectiveR-rated (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebroadcastingOf a motion picture, having an "R rating" from one more motion picture rating authorities, typically meaning it is suitable only for adults.
  2. USnot comparablebroadcastingOf a motion picture, having an "R rating" from the Motion Picture Association (MPA), meaning it is suitable only for adults.

    In movie terms, it suggests Paul Verhoeven in Robocop/Starship Troopers mode, an R-rated bloodbath where the grim spectacle of children murdering each other on television is bread-and-circuses for the age of reality TV, enforced by a totalitarian regime to keep the masses at bay.

    2012 March 22, Scott Tobias, “The Hunger Games”, in AV Club
  3. broadlynot comparableNot suitable for children, especially due to involving excessive sexual, violent, or rude content

    A day’s notes are routinely R-rated. “Usually tense relationships are moderated by ritualized greetings and a genital grab,” she said.

    2017 March, Jennifer S. Holland, “For These Monkeys, It’s a Fight for Survival”, in National Geographic

Synonyms & antonyms

suitable for adults

Similar
adult
Also see
grown-up

Origin

From R + rated. The R-rating (short for restricted) is part of the rating scale used by the U.S. film rating authority Motion Picture Association (MPA) or similar rating scales used by authorities in some other countries.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

R-rated. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/R-rated

MLA

“R-rated.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/R-rated. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “R-rated,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/R-rated.

Source: R-rated on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.