Showing results for "inherited"

• past tense form of inherit.
• past participle of inherit.

inherited

American  

[in-her-i-tid] / ɪnˈhɛr ɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. received from or as if from one’s predecessors.

   Their wealth is from inherited properties, mostly through the estate of their mother’s parents.

   For the novelist Henry James, history, tradition, precedence, and established forms constituted the inherited wisdom of civilization.

2. received through genetic transmission.

   the family’s inherited trait of straight blond hair;

   kidney problems symptomatic of an inherited disorder.

3. Baseball. (of a base runner) allowed on base by a previous pitcher.

   The unlucky reliever balked, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, allowed an inherited runner to score, and got only one out.

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Other Word Forms

• half-inherited
  adjective
• noninherited
  adjective
• quasi-inherited
  adjective
• uninherited
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of inherited

First recorded in 1795–1800; inherit ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Inherited means "handed down to you by your family." If your inherited traits include your red hair, freckles, and stubbornness, it means older people in your family also have them. Something you receive from your parents, grandparents, or other family members is inherited, whether it's a personality trait or a house in the Catskills. Some things are inherited genetically, like blue eyes, and others are inherited legally, like money or property you receive as an heir when someone dies. The Latin root is inhereditare, "to appoint as heir." The meaning changed in the 14th century to "receive, to be the heir."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inherited

They inherited $10 million from their grandparents, go skydiving on weekends, are gainfully employed, and do not need the money right now.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Because the more Seemiller studies Gen Z, the more she finds a generation responding rationally to the world it inherited — not inventing entirely new values out of thin air.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Almost since its 1882 inception—Gaudí inherited the project a year later from the neo-Gothically inclined Francisco de Paula del Villar—the world’s longest-running construction project has been an object of irritation, admiration and parody.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

In some cases, a child has only one working copy of TBX5 rather than two healthy copies inherited from the parents.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Wanda Jeffries was taller than her son, and there were times he wished he had inherited her slender form.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro