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Published January 10, 2023. Updated March 5, 2023.

This helpful guide will show you how to use legacy in a sentence, especially since it has more than one meaning! You will learn the definitions of legacy, its synonyms, antonyms, and the types of connotations the word can carry.  

Usage 1 for legacy

Definition: Money or other possessions left to someone as a gift in a will

Part(s) of speech: noun

Antonyms: loss, debt, dispossession

Synonyms: benefaction, bequest, endowment, estate, heirloom, inheritance

Let’s look at a few examples of how to use legacy in a sentence!

• She was a savvy business person. When she passed, she left her children a legacy of millions of dollars.
• These paintings are my family’s entire legacy.
• I hope to leave a legacy of wealth to my grandchildren.
• After her death, Anna’s children inherited her entire legacy.
• My father was kind but poor. This watch was the only legacy he left behind.
• Grandpa Joe gifted his prized Marine Corps saber to his children as a part of his legacy.
• What did our mother leave us as her legacy?
• After the will was read and their parent’s legacy had been distributed, the children left in silence and once again went their separate ways.
• Upon his death, the minister willed his entire legacy to his congregation.
• My grandparents left me a legacy of millions of dollars.

Usage 2 for legacy

Now, let’s see how to use this definition of legacy in a sentence! 

• Give him priority registration. His parents were legacies.
• We don’t need to pledge since we are legacy members.
• Legacy members don’t have to prove themselves to join, not the way you and I had to, anyway.
• I just found out that Jimmy is a legacy. Both his father and his grandfather were members.
• They only hazed us until they realized that we were legacies. After that, it was all jokes and apologies.
• The university had no shortage of members whose pledges had arrived with the support of a legacy.
• Buildings on campus bear the names of the many legacy benefactors to whom the college owed so much.
• Her mother had previously attended the institution, so she would be considered a legacy.
• Many universities embrace scholarships set up by legacy.
• Tommy was aware of the many legacies applying but remained unphased. He was sure his extracurricular activities and devotion to charity work would get him that scholarship.

Usage 3 for legacy

Here are a few sample sentences for this definition of legacy!

• Jack the Ripper terrorized London in the late nineteenth century. He left a legacy of mystery and terror.
• My grandfather left a behind a legacy that I choose to continue.
• When I die, I shall leave my legacy.
• Her uncle had left behind an intimidating legacy.
• She could hardly stand to listen. He was obviously a man impressed with his own legacy.
• His legacy lives on through his remarkable children.
• Eleanor’s family left a legacy of kindness and goodwill to the world.
• The ancient cultures of the Mediterranean left behind a rich legacy of incredible artifacts for future generations.
• Tom Brady retired from football, leaving behind a legacy of professionalism and greatness.
• I studied anthropology in college and became an archaeologist to continue my father’s legacy.

Usage 4 for legacy

Here are even more sample sentences for this definition of legacy!

• When we purchased the company, we inherited its legacy software.
• Being prolific game producers, they boasted a wealth of legacy data.
• Some of the best games can only be played on legacy systems.
• The shop sells all new games and several older games from legacy video game consoles.
• This gaming platform is prized for its processing speed, storage, and ability to play legacy games from its predecessors.
• It’s popular now to use emulators, which allow you to play classic games without their legacy systems.
• Xbox One can play its new and legacy Xbox 360 games.
• Mario Brothers is perhaps the most well-known legacy title in the gaming world.
• Several subscription services are now available to rent games from legacy systems.
• The Nintendo Wii is backward compatible and can play a variety of legacy GameCube games.