HEREDITARY Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'hereditary' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of hereditary are congenital , inborn , inbred , and innate . While all these words mean "not acquired after birth," congenital and hereditary refer to what is acquired before or at birth, the former to things acquired during fetal development and the latter to things transmitted from one's ancestors. // a congenital heart murmur // eye color is hereditary

Q: When might 'inborn' be a better fit than 'hereditary'?

While the synonyms inborn and hereditary are close in meaning, inborn suggests a quality or tendency either actually present at birth or so marked and deep-seated as to seem so. // her inborn love of nature

Q: When can 'inbred' be used instead of 'hereditary'?

The synonyms inbred and hereditary are sometimes interchangeable, but inbred suggests something either acquired from parents by heredity or so deeply rooted and ingrained as to seem acquired in that way. // inbred political loyalties

Q: Where would 'innate' be a reasonable alternative to 'hereditary'?

While in some cases nearly identical to hereditary , innate applies to qualities or characteristics that are part of one's inner essential nature. // an innate sense of fair play

hereditary

adjective

hə-ˈre-də-ˌter-ē

Definition of hereditary next

as in genetic

genetically passed or capable of being passed from parent to offspring eye and hair color are hereditary

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How is the word hereditary different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of hereditary are congenital, inborn, inbred, and innate. While all these words mean "not acquired after birth," congenital and hereditary refer to what is acquired before or at birth, the former to things acquired during fetal development and the latter to things transmitted from one's ancestors.

a congenital heart murmur

eye color is hereditary

When might inborn be a better fit than hereditary?

While the synonyms inborn and hereditary are close in meaning, inborn suggests a quality or tendency either actually present at birth or so marked and deep-seated as to seem so.

her inborn love of nature

When can inbred be used instead of hereditary?

The synonyms inbred and hereditary are sometimes interchangeable, but inbred suggests something either acquired from parents by heredity or so deeply rooted and ingrained as to seem acquired in that way.

inbred political loyalties

Where would innate be a reasonable alternative to hereditary?

While in some cases nearly identical to hereditary, innate applies to qualities or characteristics that are part of one's inner essential nature.

an innate sense of fair play

Examples Sentences

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Recent Examples of hereditary None of that will spare him from being evicted when the Labour government enacts a law eliminating hereditary peers, likely by the middle of next year. —

Mark Landler, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024 Doctors told Smith the sudden hair loss was hereditary, which didn’t provide much comfort considering the men in his family had full heads of hair well into old age. —

Martine Thompson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024 The Eugenic Protection Law, in place from 1948 to 1996, allowed authorities to forcibly sterilize people with disabilities, including those with mental disorders, hereditary diseases or physical deformities and leprosy. —

Jessie Yeung, CNN, 17 July 2024 There is no indication that lice are hereditary or that people with certain genetic makeups are more likely to get lice than others. —

Wendy Wisner, Health, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hereditary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hereditary

Adjective

Those genetic changes to the virus likely arose later during the person's infection, the CDC's investigation concluded, and were not found in the animals that likely infected them.

Alexander Tin, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2025
My lab discovered the genetic cause of Sam’s illness two decades ago: Just one DNA letter gone awry, a T that should have been a C in a critical gene called lamin A.

Francis Collins, WIRED, 7 Jan. 2025