Adaptive field-level matching is described. A system identifies first elements in a field of a prospective record for a database, and second elements in the field of a candidate record, in the database, for matching the prospective record. The system identifies features corresponding to any of the first elements that are identical to any of the second elements, any of the first elements that are absent from the second elements, and any of the second elements that are absent from the first elements. A machine-learning model uses the features to determine a field match score for the candidate record's field. Another machine-learning model weighs the field match score and weighs another field match score for another field of the candidate record to determine a record match score for the candidate record. If the record match score satisfies a threshold, the system identifies the candidate record as matching the prospective record.