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

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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

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 hereditary Chinese doctors warned clinicians that patients may deploy Confucian metaphors framing hereditary cancer as moral condemnation. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 Proprietary software turns the customer’s hereditary material into a new dataset, a textile weave pattern, using an algorithmic process similar to encryption. Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 Even family histories of cancer-prone women and identical twins only hinted at their hereditary links, which wouldn’t be fully understood until modern genetics came into play. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025 Individuals with hereditary cancer syndromes or inflammatory bowel disease were excluded to keep the focus on the potential impact of endurance exercise alone. Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hereditary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hereditary
Adjective
  • And growing plants from seed opens the door to greater genetic diversity.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • However, when siblings were included in the analysis – controlling for environmental, medical and genetic factors that could have contributed – the small, elevated risk disappeared.
    Tami S. Rowen, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The last thing an inherited home or property should bring about is unnecessary stress or financial strain.
    Ronny Maye, Essence, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Coaching again focused on thinking, teaching participants to engage in generative conversations about inherited truths, surfacing blind spots and nurturing innovation.
    Thomas Lim, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Regina Hall’s inherent Regina Hall–ness — her magnetic fusion of poise and charisma — never shows in One Battle After Another.
    Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
  • But the show's greatest asset is its stars, whose endearing real-life friendship pierces through the play’s inherent despair.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These shares are also inheritable, allowing them to be passed on to heirs.
    Daniela Sanjinés, The Conversation, 22 July 2025
  • Quoting the late American historian Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, Horn said Jewish culture makes a distinction between history and memory, and Jews are more interested in memory: investing a historical event with eternal, inheritable meaning.
    Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hereditary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hereditary. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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