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.

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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

The federal government was preparing to change its rules on low-value imports, threatening her ability to purchase cheaper prescription medications for blood thinning and heart failure from Canada.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Three generations of women in my family — my grandmother, my mother, my sister — carried the same condition through the same blood before any of us had a clinical word for it.

— Miranda Pappas, STAT, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of blood

Noun

The forensic department at Oklahoma State University then took over genealogy profiling, according to Rouse.

— Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Lichtman's discovery highlights the role of JewishGen, one of the world's largest online resources for Jewish genealogy.

— Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of genealogy

Noun

When divorce redefines what ownership and succession planning look like for a company, establishing financial clarity takes time.

— Catherine Shanahan, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Ren Faire, a 2024 docuseries Oppenheim shot for HBO about the succession crisis at the Texas Renaissance Festival, marked the apotheosis of this strategy.

— Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of succession

Noun

Depending on the species, that could mean breeding animals in captivity and releasing them, restoring habitat, managing disease, or controlling invasive species.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Today, after decades of coordinated efforts and millions of dollars spent on captive breeding and reintroduction efforts, more than 300 condors have been restored to their natural environment.

— David Ginsburg, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of breeding

Noun

Fortune has reported on scammers using voice-cloning tools to impersonate relatives since 2023.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
The changes include allowing the adoption of distant male relatives raised as commoners to become royals and father future heirs, and letting princesses keep their royal status after marrying commoners.

— Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of relatives

Noun

Despite Africa’s central place in human origins and its extraordinary genetic diversity, people of African ancestry remain underrepresented in the genomic datasets used to understand disease, estimate health risks, and develop treatments.

— Segun Fatumo, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Defense attorney Phil Barber said the findings could rule out certain individuals as contributors and may provide ancestry information, although the test cannot differentiate between men who share the same paternal ancestors.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of ancestry

Browse Nearby Words

heredities

heredity

hereinbelow

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Style

“Heredity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heredity. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of heredity

noun

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