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

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Etymology

Origin of inherited

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

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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

The former federal prosecutor who spent five years as USC’s general counsel inherited a deficit of more than $200 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

In a separate mouse experiment, they studied chronic granulomatous disease, an inherited disorder that interferes with the ability of certain immune cells to kill harmful microbes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

The two unacquainted orphans sign up, conscious that they have inherited the larceny gene and, unconsciously perhaps, craving a family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

In her mid-20s, Courtney-Grace was diagnosed with a genetic mutation, which can be inherited and is associated with an increased risk of tumours.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

But let us come to Commodus, who held imperial power with great ease, having inherited it by birth, being the son of Marcus.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

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