Succession
noun /səkˈsɛʃ.ən/ — The sequence by which power or property passes from one to another.
Definition
The action of following in order; specifically the sequence by which one person or group succeeds to the position or inheritance of another. In history, questions of succession have triggered wars, alliances, and revolutions.
Beyond the definition
Succession is the problem that every power creates for itself: who comes next? The answer is never simple, and the uncertainty it generates is the engine of much of history.
Origin & history
From Latin 'successio' (a following after); from 'succedere' (to follow after). The dynastic and legal sense has been in English since the 14th century.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The Wars of the Roses were essentially a prolonged succession crisis — two branches of one family unable to agree on legitimacy.
The British Act of Settlement (1701) tried to resolve succession by statute — to make orderly what dynastic ambition kept making chaotic.
Every organization faces succession: the question of what survives the founder is the question of whether there is an institution at all.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Succession” when the meaning fits your context: The action of following in order; specifically the sequence by which one person or group succeeds to the position or inheritance of another. In history, questions of succession have triggered wars, alliances, and revolutions.
Synonyms
inheritance, accession, lineage, sequence
Antonyms
interruption, usurpation
Related words
Succession vs usurpation
Succession refers to the legitimate, planned transfer of power. Usurpation is the illegitimate seizure of power by force or coercion.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
People Occupying Hierarchical Levels
People on a stone staircase are dressed in different styles corresponding to their level, representing a clear, hierarchical order of positions.
Succession is the sequence by which one follows another in position or inheritance. The fixed, hierarchical levels on the staircase symbolize this order, highlighting the transition of status according to an established, stratified sequence.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Succession" mean?
Succession is noun meaning: The sequence by which power or property passes from one to another.. The action of following in order; specifically the sequence by which one person or group succeeds to the position or inheritance of another. In history, questions of succession have triggered wars, alliances, and revolutions.
Where does the word "Succession" come from?
From Latin 'successio' (a following after); from 'succedere' (to follow after). The dynastic and legal sense has been in English since the 14th century.