disinherit

verb

dis·​in·​her·​it ˌdis-in-ˈher-ət 

-ˈhe-rət

disinherited; disinheriting; disinherits

transitive verb

1

: to prevent deliberately from inheriting something (as by making a will)

2

: to deprive of natural or human rights or of previously held special privileges

disinheritance

ˌdis-in-ˈher-ə-tən(t)s 

-ˈhe-rə-

noun

Examples of disinherit in a Sentence

She threatened to disinherit her son and leave him penniless.

Recent Examples on the Web

But in a twist worthy of a telenovela, Rivera disinherited Chiquis just two months before her death. —Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024

For speaking honestly in King Lear, Cordelia is disinherited and then executed by her lying sisters. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2024

Earlier this month, the California Supreme Court ruled against the niece, Brianna McKee Haggerty, finding that Bertsch’s later amendments that disinherited Haggerty were valid. —Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024

This presents a similar dilemma to the wife disinheriting her husband in a preceding discussion. —Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

disinherit

verb

dis·​in·​her·​it ˌdis-ᵊn-ˈher-ət 

: to deprive of the right to inherit

Legal Definition

disinherit

transitive verb

dis·​in·​her·​it ˌdis-ᵊn-ˈher-ət 

: to prevent deliberately from inheriting something (as by making a will) see also elective share

disinheritance

-ˈher-ə-təns 

noun