heir apparent

noun

Someone who will definitely inherit if surviving the one whose property is to be inherited.

Opposite
heir presumptive
OriginMiddle English heier apparaunt ← Middle French héritier apparent →
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Meanings

nounheir apparent (plural heirs apparent or heir apparents)

plural heirs apparent · plural heir apparents

  1. usuallygovernmentSomeone who will definitely inherit if surviving the one whose property is to be inherited.

    LeBron James, heir apparent to MJ’s throne, seems on paper like a dream trade—he stole plenty of laughs in Trainwreck a few summers ago.

    2021 July 14, A. A. Dowd, “Space Jam: A New Legacy is one big, witless commercial for Warner Bros. properties”, in The A.V. Club
    1 more example

    […] for Mary, though perfectly resolved against ever attaching herself to a younger brother again, was long in finding among the dashing representatives, or idle heir apparents, who were at the command of her beauty, and her 20,000l. any one who could satisfy the better taste she had acquired at Mansfield, whose character and manners could authorise a hope of the domestic happiness she had there learnt to estimate, or put Edmund Bertram sufficiently out of her head.

    1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter XVII, in Mansfield Park: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 345

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
heir presumptive

nounan heir whose right to an inheritance cannot be defeated if that person outlives the ancestor

Opposite
heir presumptive
Broader
heirinheritorheritor

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Frenchhéritier apparent
  2. Middle Englishheier apparaunt
  3. Englishheir apparent

From Middle English heier apparaunt, a calque translation of Middle French héritier apparent, hence the unusual order of adjective following noun.

More words from Middle English, Middle French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic وَلِيّ عَهْد
  • وَلِيّ عَهْد (waliyy ʕahd)someone who will definitely inherit
Chinese Mandarin 準繼承人 /准继承人, 法定繼承人 /法定继承人
  • 準繼承人 /准继承人someone who will definitely inherit
  • 法定繼承人 /法定继承人someone who will definitely inherit
  • 當然繼承人 /当然继承人someone who will definitely inherit
Czech následník trůnu
  • následník trůnusomeone who will definitely inherit
Dutch troonopvolger, kroonprins
  • troonopvolgersomeone who will definitely inherit
  • kroonprinssomeone who will definitely inherit
  • kroonprinsessomeone who will definitely inherit
Finnish kruununperijä, kruununperillinen
  • kruununperijäsomeone who will definitely inherit
  • kruununperillinensomeone who will definitely inherit
French héritier apparent, héritière apparente
  • héritier apparentsomeone who will definitely inherit
  • héritière apparentesomeone who will definitely inherit
German Thronanwärter
  • Thronanwärtersomeone who will definitely inherit
Greek φυσικός κληρονόμος
  • φυσικός κληρονόμος (fysikós klironómos)someone who will definitely inherit
Hindi उत्तराधिकारी
  • उत्तराधिकारी (uttarādhikārī)someone who will definitely inherit
Icelandic ríkiserfingi, óumdeildur arftaki
  • ríkiserfingisomeone who will definitely inherit
  • óumdeildur arftakisomeone who will definitely inherit
Indonesian pewaris takhta
  • pewaris takhtasomeone who will definitely inherit
Irish léiroidhre
  • léiroidhresomeone who will definitely inherit
Italian erede apparente
  • erede apparentesomeone who will definitely inherit
Japanese 法定推定相続人
  • 法定推定相続人 (hōtei suitei sōzokujin)someone who will definitely inherit
Korean 법정추정상속인
  • 법정추정상속인 (beopjeongchujeongsangsogin)someone who will definitely inherit
Malay pewaris takhta, waris ganti
  • pewaris takhtasomeone who will definitely inherit
  • waris gantisomeone who will definitely inherit
Māori piki tūranga
  • piki tūrangasomeone who will definitely inherit
Polish następca tronu, następczyni tronu
  • następca tronusomeone who will definitely inherit
  • następczyni tronusomeone who will definitely inherit
Portuguese herdeiro aparente
  • herdeiro aparentesomeone who will definitely inherit
Russian кронпринц, престолонасле́дник
  • кронпринц (kronprinc)someone who will definitely inherit
  • престолонасле́дник (prestolonaslédnik)someone who will definitely inherit
Spanish heredero forzoso, heredera forzosa
  • heredero forzososomeone who will definitely inherit
  • heredera forzosasomeone who will definitely inherit
  • heredero naturalsomeone who will definitely inherit
  • heredero aparentesomeone who will definitely inherit
Swedish tronarvinge
  • tronarvingesomeone who will definitely inherit
Thai ทายาทผู้มีสิทธิโดยตรง
  • ทายาทผู้มีสิทธิโดยตรง (taa-yâat pôo mee sìt-tí doi dtrong)someone who will definitely inherit
Welsh etifedd eglur
  • etifedd eglursomeone who will definitely inherit
Cite this entry
APA

heir apparent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heir%20apparent

MLA

“heir apparent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heir%20apparent. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heir apparent,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heir%20apparent.

Source: heir apparent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.