disinherit

1 of 2

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

disinheritance

2 of 2

noun

dis·​inheritance "+ 

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

Verb

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

Stepchildren are not automatically considered legal heirs unless they are legally adopted, so they must be specifically named in estate planning documents or risk being unintentionally disinherited. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026

Famous disinherited murderers include Lyle and Erik Menendez, the Californians known as the Menendez brothers. — Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025

James, Lydia, and their Aunt Ophelia (Dagny Dewath) immediately suspect foul play, since Cordelia would never disinherit her children. — Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for disinherit

• buret
• carat
• ferret
• garret
• karat
• merit
• parrot
• demerit
• inherit
• preterit

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