heredity

noun

Definition of hereditynext
as in blood
formal the natural process by which physical and mental qualities are passed from a parent to a child Heredity plays no part in the disease.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heredity In short, heredity advancement driven by desire. — D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025 Central to Burbank’s thesis was his belief that environment mattered as much, if not more, than heredity. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2026 His second album, Baby—a meditation on heredity, shredded and reconstituted in a $10 DJ program—was released to rapturous acclaim in August. — Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 8 Dec. 2025 Political figures within Iran criticized the idea of handing over the supreme leader’s title based on heredity and thereby creating a clerical version of the rule of the shah, who was toppled during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. — Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heredity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heredity
  1. blood
  2. genealogy
  3. succession
  4. breeding
  5. relatives
  6. ancestry
  7. birth
  8. family
Noun
  • Diseases that damage the kidneys and impair their ability to filter blood were blamed for 55,081 deaths in 2024.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Pomegranates also contain vitamin K and folate, which can help support healthy blood clotting and cell growth, respectively.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of blood
Noun
  • Othram, based in The Woodlands, Texas, specializes in advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy, a method that can help investigators identify suspects or unknown victims when traditional law enforcement databases do not produce a match.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • Investigators identified Cheryl using forensic genetic genealogy.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
Definition of genealogy
Noun
  • Hers is a voice that ought to have a lifetime’s staying power, bolstered by a lyrical and musical sensibility that provide everything her instrument needs to deliver a happy succession of knockout blows.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 3 July 2026
  • Business owners are actively seeking guidance on value creation, risk reduction, succession and exit readiness.
    — Craig West, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of succession
Noun
  • That posture has guided not only the book but also the expansion of the Freakonomics universe into a long-running podcast and live conversations that explore everything from education to horse breeding.
    — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The zoo, which opened in its current location in 1997, hosts a successful breeding program for the endangered clouded leopard.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Definition of breeding
Noun
  • Stay out of the sun, and make sure to check up on relatives and neighbors.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 6 July 2026
  • With no electricity or phone signal, many have struggled to find news of relatives in the affected areas.
    — Catherine Ellis, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of relatives
Noun
  • However, elites’ DNA contained genetic similarities known as runs of homozygosity — adjacent genetic markers indicating common ancestry — and their genomes tended to be more homogenous than those of non-elites.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Maybe that ancestry made Beck the wrong guy to pitch on America’s big day.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
Definition of ancestry
Noun
  • Other theories suggest that certain cells within the abdomen may transform into endometrial-like tissue, while some evidence points to stem cells or developmental changes that occur before birth.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Maxton Bowman — a 2-year-old from Shildon, England — is autistic and nonverbal, and has faced health challenges since birth.
    — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
Definition of birth
Noun
  • The family fought for three hours last July Fourth to stay alive after more than a summer’s worth of rain fell overnight on bone-dry soil, pushing the waterway from about 3 feet to 30 feet in just 45 minutes.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • History shows family successions, whether in North Korea or Syria, tend to happen through rigid authoritarian control, with the transfer of power underwritten by whoever controls the military.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of family

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heredities
heredity
hereinbelow
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Cite this Entry

“Heredity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heredity. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on heredity

Nglish: Translation of heredity for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about heredity

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