pedigree

16 synonyms and 1 antonym for pedigree, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A record of an animal's or person's ancestry, especially one showing distinguished breeding.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

line blood stock origin

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

descent lineage ancestry

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

bloodline stemma parentage blood line line of descent pureblood pedigreed pureblooded thoroughbred

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A record of an animal's or person's ancestry, especially one showing distinguished breeding.

“The breeder showed us the puppy's pedigree going back four generations.”

line blood stock origin descent lineage ancestry bloodline stemma parentage blood line line of descent

2. adj

Having documented ancestry; purebred.

“They only breed pedigree dogs at that kennel.”

pureblood pedigreed pureblooded thoroughbred

Opposites

mixed

How to use pedigree

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

pedigree dog academic pedigree impressive pedigree

Etymology

From Old French pié de grue, "foot of a crane," apparently because old genealogy charts had branching lines that looked like a crane's foot.

Full origin of pedigree →

Frequently asked questions

What does “pedigree” mean?

The word “pedigree” means a record of an animal's or person's ancestry, especially one showing distinguished breeding. In plain terms, a traceable line of ancestry or a strong track record — used for animals' breeding and, figuratively, for people's impressive backgrounds.

How do you pronounce “pedigree”?

“Pedigree” is pronounced PEHD-ih-gree (/ˈpɛd.ɪ.ɡɹi/ in IPA).

How do you use “pedigree” in a sentence?

Here is “pedigree” used in a sentence: “The breeder showed us the puppy's pedigree going back four generations.”

What part of speech is “pedigree”?

Depending on how it is used, “pedigree” can be a noun and an adjective.

Where does the word “pedigree” come from?

The word “pedigree” comes from Old French. From Old French pié de grue, "foot of a crane," apparently because old genealogy charts had branching lines that looked like a crane's foot.

Is “pedigree” a common word?

“Pedigree” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “pedigree” have?

“Pedigree” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a record of an animal's or person's ancestry, especially one showing distinguished breeding.

People also searched

line blood stock origin mixed descent lineage ancestry pureblood stemma thoroughbred bloodline

Nearby words

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