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How does inheritance work in CSS, and which properties are typically inherited by default?
How does inheritance work in CSS, and which properties are typically inherited by default?
Jun 19, 2025 am 12:43 AM
What Does It Mean for a Property to Be Inherited?
<p> When a CSS property is inherited , it means that if you set it on a parent element and don't explicitly override it on a child, the child will use the same value. Think of it like passing down a family trait — no need to repeat yourself unless you want something different. <p> For example: body {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}<p> All text inside the <body> , including paragraphs, headings, and links, will use Arial unless you change it somewhere specific.<p> This helps keep your CSS cleaner and more maintainedable.Commonly Inherited CSS Properties
<p> Not every CSS property gets passed down automatically. The ones that do usually related to text appearance or general document layout . Here's a list of common inherited properties:-
color -
font-family,font-size,font-style,font-weight -
line-height -
text-align -
text-transform -
visibility(though this has some quirks) -
white-space -
word-wrap
font-size on a <div> , all the text inside that <div> — even nested <span> s or <p> tags — will have that font size unless you override it.Non-Inherited Properties (and Why That Matters)
<p> Many important CSS properties are not inherited by default. These include things related to layout, spacing, and box model:-
margin,padding -
border,background,box-shadow -
display,position,float -
width,height,overflow -
flex,gridproperties
How to Control Inheritance Yourself
<p> If you ever want to force a property to inherit from a parent, or prevent it from doing so, CSS gives you special keyword values:-
inherit– forces the property to take the computed value from the parent -
initial– resets the property to its default browser value -
unset– acts likeinheritif the property naturally inherits; otherwise, it usesinitial
.my-box {
border: 1px solid inherit;
}<p> Or if you want to make sure a child doesn't pick up a parent's font style: .special-text {
font-weight: initial;
}<p> These tools give you fine-grained control when dealing with complex designs or overrides.
Wrapping Up
<p> Inheritance in CSS helps reduce repetition and keeps your code DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), especially when dealing with typography. But it's also easy to overlook — sometimes leading to confusion about why certain styles appear where you didn't expect them. <p> Knowing which properties are inherited by default and how to manipulate that behavior can save you time and frustration. <p> Basically that's it.The above is the detailed content of How does inheritance work in CSS, and which properties are typically inherited by default?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!
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