hereditarian

[ huh-red-i-tair-ee-uhn ]

noun

1. a person who believes that differences between individuals or groups, including moral and intellectual attributes, are predominantly determined by genetic factors ( environmentalist ).

adjective

1. characteristic of or based on such belief:

   hereditarian theories.

Other Words From

• he·redi·tari·an·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hereditarian¹

1880–85; heredit(y) or heredit(ary) + -arian

Example Sentences

A tempting, but ineffective, response to the hereditarian attempt to naturalize inequality is to deny or minimize the influence of nature.

From Nautilus