posterity
Americannoun
-
succeeding or future generations collectively.
Judgment of this age must be left to posterity.
-
all descendants of one person.
His fortune was gradually dissipated by his posterity.
noun
-
future or succeeding generations
-
all of one's descendants
Etymology
Origin of posterity
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English posterite, from Old French postérité, from Latin posteritāt-, stem of posteritās, noun derivative of posterus “coming after”; posterior, -ity
Explanation
Posterity is a noun meaning "future generations." These people of the future could be your children and great-great grandchildren, or any people who are born after you. If you save something "for posterity," you're hoping that years later people will appreciate it, like a time capsule you bury in the yard. The word comes from the Latin word for "post, after." It's also related to the word posterior, which means "behind, to come after in time." In legal terms, posterity refers to the offspring of a person and it often has to do with inheriting property and who is entitled to do so.
Vocabulary lists containing posterity
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
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"On Women's Right to Vote" by Susan B. Anthony
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"Sonnet 55" by William Shakespeare
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Stanton is a huge and consequential personage in American history, but she has dwindled in the eyes of posterity to become a subordinate of Anthony.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
A corner of him still leaned toward the hit parade, but his compass pointed not to the jukebox’s quick spin, but to the slow reward of posterity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
But praise was poured upon the humble pint's place in the nation's history, cultural life and language, and the government moved to ensure the measurement was preserved for posterity.
From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025
President Emmanuel Macron inside the Pantheon said Badinter's voice would ring out in posterity.
From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025
In effect, if Adams had a different story to tell, if he saw a different pattern in the historical swirl they had both lived through, he should write out his account and let posterity judge.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
