as in genetic
genetically passed or capable of being passed from parent to offspring
eye and hair color are hereditary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hereditary
Autopsies can catch hereditary illnesses that doctors tend to miss, such as signet-ring-cell carcinomas, and reveal causes of dementia that may have been misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s.
—
Samuel Ashworth, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025
The last female hereditary peer, Margaret Alison of Mar, a Scottish politician known as the Countess of Mar, retired in 2020.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
Customers could simply send in a saliva sample and receive a report about their family tree, demographics, and even their risk for certain hereditary health conditions.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 26 Mar. 2025
If Mojtaba does indeed become supreme leader, not only will the Islamic Republic come closer to becoming a hereditary monarchy, but the forward defense may get a second wind.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hereditary
Samuel Ashworth, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025
The last female hereditary peer, Margaret Alison of Mar, a Scottish politician known as the Countess of Mar, retired in 2020.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
Customers could simply send in a saliva sample and receive a report about their family tree, demographics, and even their risk for certain hereditary health conditions.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 26 Mar. 2025
If Mojtaba does indeed become supreme leader, not only will the Islamic Republic come closer to becoming a hereditary monarchy, but the forward defense may get a second wind.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hereditary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hereditary
Adjective
-
The remains were found by a person walking through the woods in Wilkeson, Washington, south of Seattle, in October 1997, according to a news release from the forensic genetic genealogy company Othram.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Zoom in: The company believes these clones — or future clones and offspring — could bring genetic diversity to the captive breeding population of red wolves.—
Zachery Eanes,
Axios,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For as bleak as things can feel for Chicago’s South Side ballclub, there is still an inherent optimism when everyone’s record is 0-0.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Similarly, companies that release forked AOSP products rarely use the main AOSP branch due to its inherent instability.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Quoting the late American historian Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, Horn said Jewish culture makes a distinction between history and memory, and Jews are more interested in memory: investing a historical event with eternal, inheritable meaning.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Our vision is that the future of design will have a long lasting inheritable quality.—
Sydney Gore,
Architectural Digest,
6 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hereditary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hereditary. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share