Inherent or inherited?

Inherent or inherited?

Inherent and inherited are similar words with different meanings. You could easily confuse them, so this might help you to learn the difference.

We use “inherent” when we talk about a basic part or consequence of something, while we use “inherited” when we talk about something that has been received from someone else – usually after they have died.

Examples:

• Losing your money is an inherent risk of gambling.
• She inherited a lot of money when her grandmother died.

Let’s look in a bit more detail.

The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus defines inherent as: “existing as a natural or basic part of something”. It is an adjective which probably comes from the Latin verb inhaerere, which means to be closely connected to. The related adverb is inherently.

Here are some examples of how we use inherent and inherently:

• Close harmony and beautiful melodies are inherent features of his music.
• Mountaineering has some inherent dangers.
• All humans have an inherent right to freedom.
• Crossing the Sahara is inherently difficult.
• Sailing across the Pacific is inherently exciting.

Inherited can also be an adjective. It probably comes from the Latin verb inhereditare. We use “inherited” to talk about something that a person has received from someone after their death. We also use it to describe something that has been passed down the generations. “Inherited” is also the past participle of the verb to inherit.

• He benefited from enormous inherited wealth. (adjective)
• She inherited her good looks from her mother. (verb)
• Inherited land contributes to inequalities in the country. (adjective)
• This company inherited a strong reputation as well as many customers when it took over the business of one of its rivals. (verb)
• When we read our father’s will we discovered that we had inherited less than we expected.

Other forms of the word include the noun “inheritance”:

• His inheritance meant that he could retire early.

_{Thanks to Larisa for the suggestion.}

^{Posted by Graham}