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inherence

A1
noun

Pronunciation

UK

  • /ɪnˈhɪərəns/uncountableusuallynoun

US

  • /ɪnhˈiərəns/

Description

Inherence is the state of being a natural, inseparable part of something else. It describes a quality that belongs to a thing by its very nature, not something that was added later. Think of the sweetness of ripe fruit or the risk that comes with climbing a mountain. These are not extra features; they are part of what the thing is.

You might say that kindness seems built into her personality, or that a flaw is part of the design from the start. The word points to something basic and hard to separate from the thing itself. It is often used when talking about qualities, character, design, or risk.

Examples

  1. 1

    Philosophy

    Philosophers still debate the inherence of beauty in physical objects.

    • Usage

      inherence is very formal; it often appears in the pattern the inherence of A in B

  2. 2

    Legal authority

    The judge rejected the idea that authority has inherence in a title alone.

  3. 3

    Religious writing

    In some religious writing, holiness is treated as having inherence in certain objects.

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • inherencenoun