Meaning & use
lineal descendant
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableformal
A person who comes directly from an ancestor through children, grandchildren and so on, such as a child or great-grandchild.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of': a lineal descendant of the king.
Patterns
- a lineal descendant of someone
She is a lineal descendant of the founder of the town.
Only lineal descendants could inherit the estate.
The queen's lineal descendants have kept the family name.
Word forms
| plural | lineal descendants |
|---|
Common combinations
- a lineal descendant of
- He claims to be a lineal descendant of a famous poet.
- direct lineal descendant
- A direct lineal descendant received the title.
- the lineal descendants
- The lineal descendants gathered for the family reunion.
- prove you are a lineal descendant
- You must prove you are a lineal descendant to claim the land.
Synonyms and how they differ
- direct descendant
- Direct descendant is the everyday phrase for the same idea, while lineal descendant is more formal and legal.
- heir
- An heir is someone entitled to inherit, who may not be a descendant, while a lineal descendant is defined by blood line.
Opposites
Word family
- descendant noun
- a person who comes from an earlier ancestor
- descend verb
- to come from an ancestor
- lineage noun
- the line of ancestors of a person
- lineal adjective
- in a direct line of descent
Commonly confused: lineal descendant or collateral relative?
lineal descendant vs collateral relative
A collateral relative, such as a cousin, shares an ancestor but is not in the direct line, so is not a lineal descendant.
Practice
Which person is a lineal descendant of a woman?
Choose one answer.
A granddaughter comes directly down the family line. Cousins, nieces and in-laws are related differently, so they are not lineal descendants.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lineal descendant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.