as in heir
a person who has the right to inherit property
someday that little boy will become the inheritor of one of the largest private fortunes in the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 inheritor
After the world’s nuclear annihilation, the Enclave emerged from the ash and embers claiming to be the true inheritor of America.
—
Jack King, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2026
The initiative positions Arkansas as the sole inheritor and national administrator of the fund.
—Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 19 Dec. 2025
Yet with so much information—and so many competing voices—many inheritors won’t know where to begin.
—Massy Williams, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2025
While families that own large companies used to expect or even require their kids to take over the family businesses, many of today's next-gen inheritors want to forge their own path.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
Although San Francisco was the inheritor of a distinctly American brand of social liberalism, tech elites were countercultural (in the sense that the more conservative ones cast their politics as a rebellion against the woke mainstream).
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Though the gardens honor the full Calder lineage, their focus is on the twentieth-century inheritor.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The very idea of an alliance will be strange and scary to the inheritors of the Non-Aligned Movement, which India helped spearhead during the Cold War.
—Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
Jack King, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2026
The initiative positions Arkansas as the sole inheritor and national administrator of the fund.
—Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 19 Dec. 2025
Yet with so much information—and so many competing voices—many inheritors won’t know where to begin.
—Massy Williams, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2025
While families that own large companies used to expect or even require their kids to take over the family businesses, many of today's next-gen inheritors want to forge their own path.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
Although San Francisco was the inheritor of a distinctly American brand of social liberalism, tech elites were countercultural (in the sense that the more conservative ones cast their politics as a rebellion against the woke mainstream).
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Though the gardens honor the full Calder lineage, their focus is on the twentieth-century inheritor.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The very idea of an alliance will be strange and scary to the inheritors of the Non-Aligned Movement, which India helped spearhead during the Cold War.
—Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inheritor
heir
Noun
-
Saif al-Islam Gadhafi was once seen as the heir-apparent to his dictator father –– who was executed after his regime was toppled at the height of the Arab Spring protests in 2011 –– and had in recent years been making a play to return to politics in Libya.—
Nic Robertson,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Pine has been chosen, unconsciously or not, by Roper as his heir and executioner.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inheritor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inheritor. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
