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View synonyms for

inheritance

[in-her-i-tuhns]

noun

  1. something that is or may be inherited; property passing at the owner's death to the heir or those entitled to succeed; legacy.

    Synonyms: ,
  2. the genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring, taken collectively.

  3. something, as a quality, characteristic, or other immaterial possession, received from progenitors or predecessors as if by succession.

    an inheritance of family pride.

  4. the act or fact of inheriting by succession, as if by succession, or genetically.

    to receive property by inheritance.

  5. portion; birthright; heritage.

    Absolute rule was considered the inheritance of kings.

  6. Obsolete.right of possession; ownership.



inheritance

/ ɪˈɛɪəԲ /

noun

  1. law

    1. hereditary succession to an estate, title, etc

    2. the right of an heir to succeed to property on the death of an ancestor

    3. something that may legally be transmitted to an heir

  2. the act of inheriting

  3. something inherited; heritage

  4. the derivation of characteristics of one generation from an earlier one by heredity

  5. obsoletehereditary rights

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

inheritance

  1. The process by which traits or characteristics pass from parents to offspring through the genes.

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Other Word Forms

  • preinheritance noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of inheritance1

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English enheritance, from Anglo-French; equivalent to inherit + -ance
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Synonym Study

Inheritance, heritage denote something inherited. Inheritance is the common term for property or any possession that comes to an heir: He received the farm as an inheritance from his parents. Heritage indicates something that is bequeathed to a subsequent generation by an individual or by society: our cultural heritage from Greece and Rome.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Two sisters whose mother went from being their best friend to stealing their £50,000 inheritance say they have been left feeling anxious and unable to trust anyone.

From

The patent for one of these gadgets — a large, electromagnetic, vibrational wand — is Carrie’s only inheritance.

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A mother has been ordered to pay back £50,000 inheritance she stole from her two daughters.

From

In September 2020, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie quoted with approval the following: “’The judiciary is not the sole guardian of our constitutional inheritance and interpretive authority under the Constitution has varied over time.’”

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A farmer took his own life the day before the government's Budget after weeks of worrying about looming changes to inheritance tax, an inquest has heard.

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inheritableinheritance tax