disinherit

1 of 2

verb

dis·​in·​her·​it ˌdis-in-ˈher-ət How to pronounce disinherit (audio)
-ˈhe-rət
disinherited; disinheriting; disinherits
Synonyms of disinheritnext

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 How to pronounce disinherit (audio)
-ˈhe-rə-
noun

disinheritance

2 of 2

noun

dis·​inheritance "+ How to pronounce disinheritance (audio)
variants or less commonly disinheritation
¦disə̇nˌherə¦tāshən
plural -s
: an act of disinheriting or the state of being disinherited

Examples of disinherit in a Sentence

Verb She threatened to disinherit her son and leave him penniless.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
Many existing estate planning documents are either not clear on these matters or worse could result in disinheriting you or your child. — Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 When Franklin’s will was read in 1790, William discovered that he had essentially been disinherited all over again. — Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025 His mother was born into Rome’s commercial bourgeoisie, but she had essentially been disinherited, nose-diving into the working class with a pair of children to raise. — Andrea Bajani, New Yorker, 7 June 2026 In the end, Erin received none of that money; Wood disinherited Erin and then died by suicide in February 2023, nearly two years after she was shot. — Chris Spargo, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disinherit

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disinherit was in the 15th century

Rhymes for disinherit

See All Rhymes for disinherit

Browse Nearby Words

disinhabit
disinherit
disinheritance
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disinherit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disinherit. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

disinherit

verb
dis·​in·​her·​it ˌdis-ᵊn-ˈher-ət How to pronounce disinherit (audio)
: to deprive of the right to inherit

Legal Definition

disinherit

transitive verb
dis·​in·​her·​it ˌdis-ᵊn-ˈher-ət How to pronounce disinherit (audio)
: to prevent deliberately from inheriting something (as by making a will) see also elective share
disinheritance
-ˈher-ə-təns How to pronounce disinherit (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on disinherit

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for disinherit

Nglish: Translation of disinherit for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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