hereditary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Although North Korea has relentlessly suppressed religion and vilified American missionaries, the origins of this hereditary cult are found in a surprising place: Protestant Christianity, and in particular, postbellum American Presbyterianism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

It suggested a number of conditions, including hereditary spastic paraplegia, which Phoebe presented to her GP.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Like many chronic afflictions, Mets fandom can be hereditary or acquired.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

But, for some, the end will be deferred after a compromise deal was struck that gives a select few a chance to board what one outgoing peer called the "hereditary lifeboat".

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Band organization is often described as “egalitarian”: there is no formalized social stratification into upper and lower classes, no formalized or hereditary leadership, and no formalized monopolies of information and decision making.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond