disinherit

American  

[dis-in-her-it] / ˌdɪs ɪnˈhɛr ɪt /

verb (used with object)

1. Law. to exclude from inheritance (an heir or a next of kin).

2. to deprive of a heritage, country, right, privilege, etc..

   the disinherited peoples of the earth.

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disinherit British  

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈhɛrɪt /

verb

1. law to deprive (an heir or next of kin) of inheritance or right to inherit

2. to deprive of a right or heritage

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Other Word Forms

• disinheritance
  noun
• undisinherited
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of disinherit

First recorded in 1525–35; dis- ¹ + inherit

Explanation

When you disinherit someone, you decide not to leave that person anything in your will. Your eccentric grandfather might threaten to disinherit you because of your dirty fingernails. You need to have written a will — a document that lists where you want your money and property to go after your death — in order to disinherit someone. When your wealthy relative actually removes your name from her will, she officially disinherits you. The word inherit is at the heart of disinherit, with its old-fashioned meaning, "make someone an heir." When you add the Latin prefix dis, "not," you take away the inheritance altogether.

Example Sentences

“A parent can disinherit a child, leaving them nothing,” according to Albertson & Davidson, a law firm with offices across southern California.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025

Jose was planning to disinherit the brothers because he considered them failures, according to court filings.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025

Fleming severed his relationship with Monique after his mother threatened to disinherit him, an act that would reverberate across his lifetime in pangs of sadness and despair.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2024

Attorneys for two of Franklin's sons had asserted their half-brother Ted White "wants to disinherit" them.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2023

According to an account recorded by a friend of Stanton’s, her father told her, “Your first lecture will be a very expensive one,” threatening to disinherit her if she went through with it.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling