primogeniture

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.

The last time the U.K.’s law of succession was altered, to end male primogeniture, was in 2013 and it took nearly two years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

The book’s title is a play on the phrase “heir and spare,” referring to Harry’s diminished status as the younger brother in a monarchy where succession is governed by primogeniture.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2023

They banned inherited titles of nobility - duke and earl and the like - and prohibited the European inheritance practices of primogeniture and entail, by which massive estates were handed down through generations.

From Washington Times • May 8, 2019

Following the rule of primogeniture, the eldest sons of members inherited their fathers’ memberships.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

In Virginia, however, laws abolishing primogeniture and entail had been passed during the Revolution.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis