Meaning & use
inherited
Last updated
“inherited” is a form of “inherit”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitivelegal
Past form of inherit: received money, property or a title from someone after they died.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with from: she inherited a house from her aunt.
Patterns
- inherit something from someone
She inherited her grandmother's garden when the old woman passed away.
He inherited a small fortune from an uncle he barely knew.
The prince inherited the throne at the age of nineteen.
verbtransitivebiology
Past form of inherit: got a physical trait, illness or characteristic from a parent through genes.
Grammar: Takes an object: he inherited his father's curly hair.
Patterns
- inherit something from someone
She inherited her mother's green eyes.
He inherited a tendency toward asthma from his father.
The puppies inherited the sharp hearing of their mother.
verbtransitivefigurative
Past form of inherit: took over a problem, system or job left by the person who held it before.
Grammar: Takes an object, often something unwanted: the manager inherited a mess.
Patterns
- inherit something from someone
The new director inherited a budget deficit from her predecessor.
We inherited an old computer system that no one understood.
He inherited a team with very low morale.
adjectivebefore a noun
Received from a parent or earlier owner, rather than gained by your own effort.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: inherited wealth.
Patterns
- inherited from someone
Her inherited wealth allowed her to start a foundation.
Blue eyes are an inherited trait in their family.
The family business was an inherited responsibility.
Word forms
| base form | inherit |
|---|---|
| third person singular | inherits |
| past participle | inherited |
| -ing form | inheriting |
Common combinations
- inherited wealth
- His inherited wealth meant he never had to worry about rent.
- inherited trait
- Left-handedness is partly an inherited trait.
- inherited disease
- Doctors tested the baby for an inherited disease.
- inherited the family business
- She inherited the family business at thirty.
- inherited a problem
- The mayor inherited a problem from the previous council.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bequeathed
- Bequeathed describes what the giver did through a will, while inherited describes what the receiver got.
- hereditary
- Hereditary describes a quality passed through families, including titles, while inherited is more general.
- handed down
- Handed down is less formal and often applies to objects or customs passed through generations.
- innate
- Innate means present from birth, but not necessarily passed from a particular person.
Opposites
Word family
- inherit verb
- to receive from a parent or earlier holder
- inheritance noun
- something received after a death or through genes
- inheritor noun
- a person who inherits
- heir noun
- a person legally entitled to inherit
Commonly confused: inherited or inhibited?
inherited vs inhibited
Inhibited means held back or restrained, and has nothing to do with receiving something from a parent.
Practice
She ____ her father's talent for music, and she began playing the violin at four.
Choose one answer.
Inherited means got from a parent. Inhabited means lived in, inhibited means restrained, and inserted means put in, so none of them fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inherited”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.