inheritor

/ɪnˈherɪtə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈherɪtər/ (ame, ipa) · /ə̇nˈherə̇tə(r) -rə̇tə-/ (ame, mw)

inheritor — noun

  • inheritorsingular
  • inheritorsplural

1. A person who receives money, land, or other possessions that belonged to someone

1.名詞C1
釋義

A person who receives money, land, or other possessions that belonged to someone who has died — usually because that person named them in a legal document called a will.

例句

When her great-aunt passed away, Yuki became the sole inheritor of a small apartment in Kyoto.

becomes the sole inheritor of [property]

Chen was named the main inheritor of his uncle's property in the lawyer's office.

named the main inheritor of [possessions]

同義詞
  • heir

    Far more common in everyday language; 'heir' can imply a right by birth, while 'inheritor' focuses on the act of receiving after a death

  • beneficiary

    Broader legal term — can also refer to someone who receives money from a life insurance policy or trust, not just from a deceased person's will

  • legatee

    Formal legal term for someone who receives personal property (not land) under a will

反義詞
  • testator

    The person who makes the will; the giver rather than the receiver

用法筆記

Common in legal and formal contexts about wills and estates. The everyday equivalent is heir, which is far more frequent in spoken and written English.

常見錯誤

❌She is the inheritor of her mother's musical talent.
✅She is the heir to her mother's musical talent.
💡'Inheritor' almost always refers to property or money, not non-material qualities.
❌He is the inheritor of his father after he dies.
✅He is the inheritor of his father's estate after he dies.
💡'Inheritor' takes the thing received (estate, property), not the person.