heir apparent
14
5.9
- noun
- /ˈɛr əˈpɛrənt/
- Formal
:
heredero aparente
- Vice President Xi Jinping, the government's point man on the Olympics and President Hu Jintao's heir apparent, would likely face challenges to his presumed leadership.
The golden child is actually a type we could also call the Crown Prince or the Crown Princess or the heir apparent.
- The golden child is actually a type we could also call the Crown Prince or the Crown Princess or the heir apparent.
Examples
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As the heir apparent to the family estate, she prepared to take on her responsibilities once her father retired.
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As the heir apparent to your Giants season tickets... ...I wish you all the success in the world.
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You are the heir apparent, aren't you?
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Xi Jinping, the heir apparent, is set to take over at the next party congress in 2012.
Academic text (2011) -
Forstall, once considered an heir apparent to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, will be leaving Apple next year.
Blog text (25) -
The Prince of Wales is heir apparent to the throne, the first in line to become King, even though he will probably be amongst the eldest princes ever to become King.
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In the immediate aftermath of Putin's appearance as heir apparent, there had been considerable speculation as to what this might mean for church-state relations.
Academic text (2007) -
Ms. Quinn has cultivated ties to that world, seemingly becoming the mayor's heir apparent in the process.
Blog text (3) -
The Prince of Wales is the heir apparent to the British throne, securing his position as the next king.
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Many considered him the heir apparent to the successful business, expected to inherit it from his father.
Synonyms
28
3.4
A man who is expected to be the next king
Antonyms
- Formal
1
8.6
A person likely to inherit a title but who loses that right if a more eligible child is born
How Certain
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'heir' (one entitled to inherit) with 'apparent' (obvious), so a learner could infer it refers to an obvious or designated successor. However, the technical legal sense — that this person’s right cannot be displaced by the birth of another heir (distinct from 'heir presumptive') — is a specialized, non-obvious nuance not predictable from the parts alone, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Heir apparent comes from old royal practice when a ruler named one child in front of everyone so there was no doubt who would get the crown. An heir is the person who will 'inherit' and apparent means 'clear', so heir apparent today means the first in line whose right to inherit 'cannot be displaced'.