HEREDITY Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

heredity

noun

Definition of heredity

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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 These two features have led to the suggestion that early life was protein-free, with RNA handling both heredity and catalyzing a simple metabolism. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 13 Feb. 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 To truly understand genes and heredity, researchers had to learn to read the DNA code. — Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025 In short, heredity advancement driven by desire. — D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heredity

Recent Examples of Synonyms for heredity

Noun

In a Towie-style home, her former close friend Cee, who is married to Marcus’s brother Mario (Agamemnon), hosts a tense event to mark her return – blood-spattered and still in shock.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Sep. 2026
The lymphatic system runs alongside blood circulation and picks up fluid and larger particles that veins cannot absorb, moving that waste back toward the bloodstream so the kidneys can filter it or the body can reuse it.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of blood

Noun

Santiago, Clark said, is the first person to be convicted by a jury in New York State because of the use of investigative genetic genealogy.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
The Nathan Hale Fife & Drum will perform and there will be a question-and-answer session with experts of the Hale family genealogy.

— Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of genealogy

Noun

And there is the family—the relationships, the history, the roles assigned decades before anyone thought about succession.

— Joy Nissen, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
This approach, known as succession planting, is particularly useful with cilantro because the plant can have such a short window for harvesting leaves.

— Rachel Gillett, Martha Stewart, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of succession

Noun

In 1970, when the wolves went nearly extinct in the wild, researchers captured five animals to establish a captive breeding program and bring them back from the brink.

— Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by removing standing water around your home, including any containers that collect water; cleaning clogged roof gutters and treating retention ponds and drainage ditches with a mosquito larvicide.

— Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of breeding

Noun

Nearly two dozen relatives are expected to attend, traveling from England, New York and Mexico.

— Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
The genetic genealogy technique involves taking crime scene evidence to develop a profile that is used to search consumer DNA databases for genetic relatives who consented to assist law enforcement.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of relatives

Noun

Today, 55% of the city's residents have Middle Eastern ancestry, and the mayor, police chief, and schools superintendent are all Muslims of Arab descent.

— Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 12 Sep. 2026
That includes not only your own personal memories and experiences, but also ancestry, imagination and empathy.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of ancestry

Noun

The team measured 13 rare earth elements, including cerium, ytterbium and lanthanum, and examined whether exposure was associated with birth outcomes.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
Only the direct children and grandchildren of the current monarch can receive royal titles at birth.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of birth

Noun

The man's family has struggled to get any information from the hospital about his status or location, Lincoln-Goldfinch said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
While speaking to reporters, Janssen recalled learning what had happened to Serkov while having dinner with her family.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of family

Browse Nearby Words

heredities

heredity

hereinbelow

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Heredity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heredity. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of heredity

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on heredity

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nemesis

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes