as in heir
a person who has the right to inherit property
the couple had no children, so they declared their nephew their only legatee
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legatee
Trump and allies, meanwhile, often cast him as legatee of Reagan.
—
David Jackson, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2024
Since at least World War I, some legatees of Ivy League privilege have deployed their advantages to oppose injustices and support workers, often against these defectors’ own comfortable families’ and college classmates’ interests, and often at some risk to themselves.
—Jim Sleeper, The New Republic, 4 Sep. 2023
The couple whom Perry sees on the house tour are at once beneficiaries of the school’s past participation in slavery and legatees of an effort of historical recovery that Swarns’s book both chronicles and carries forward.
—Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 27 June 2023
Humans, as legatees of this heritage, learn by seeing and visualizing.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Columbus was not, as is well-known to the ungrateful modern-day legatees of his conquest, a perfect man.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 14 Oct. 2019
Under the bill, a couple could pass on up to $22 million in assets without their legatees having to pay the tax.
—The Washington Post, NOLA.com, 20 Dec. 2017
David Jackson, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2024
Since at least World War I, some legatees of Ivy League privilege have deployed their advantages to oppose injustices and support workers, often against these defectors’ own comfortable families’ and college classmates’ interests, and often at some risk to themselves.
—Jim Sleeper, The New Republic, 4 Sep. 2023
The couple whom Perry sees on the house tour are at once beneficiaries of the school’s past participation in slavery and legatees of an effort of historical recovery that Swarns’s book both chronicles and carries forward.
—Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 27 June 2023
Humans, as legatees of this heritage, learn by seeing and visualizing.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Columbus was not, as is well-known to the ungrateful modern-day legatees of his conquest, a perfect man.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 14 Oct. 2019
Under the bill, a couple could pass on up to $22 million in assets without their legatees having to pay the tax.
—The Washington Post, NOLA.com, 20 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legatee
heir
Noun
-
Kane reflects on Fitzgerald’s decision to travel to Mexico with her son Valpy, a prospective heir for sisters there who are distantly connected to their family.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Alluca’s clients include tech founders, private investors, and next-gen heirs.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legatee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legatee. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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