This article aims to communicate the results a research which purpose was to characterize the contemporary meaning of adulthood in two age groups in Medellin city (Colombia). The central topics in which such characterization is founded are the perception about adults' function as reference, the way how people experience life with close adults and the attitude toward adulthood and its role as reference to younger generations. The method was qualitative; the strategies to collect information were 20 semistructured interviews and the application of a projective test. The results shows that there is a blurring of adulthood nowadays, so its characteristics are less evident every time. © Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Sociales.