fraternal
Americanadjective
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of or befitting a brother or brothers; brotherly.
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of or being a society of men associated in brotherly union, as for mutual aid or benefit.
a fraternal order; a fraternal association.
adjective
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of or suitable to a brother; brotherly
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of or relating to a fraternity
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designating either or both of a pair of twins of the same or opposite sex that developed from two separate fertilized ova Compare identical
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fraternal
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin frātern ( us ) fraternal (derivative of frāter brother ) + -al 1
Compare meaning
How does fraternal compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use the adjective fraternal to mean "brotherly," the way you'd describe your fraternal relationship with your oldest friend who is like a brother to you. A fight between brothers? You could chalk it up to fraternal rivalry. Fraternal describes the relationship between brothers, but it is also used is to describe a club, society or fraternity, some brotherly group of people — usually men — with common interests. Fraternal twins, unlike identical twins, are formed from separate ova. That's why they don't look exactly alike and can be a girl and a boy, instead of two girls or two boys.
Vocabulary lists containing fraternal
Lincoln Inaugural Address (March 1861)
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Vocabulary from Vladimir Putin's Speech on Crimea
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Max in the House of Spies
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Philadelphia police will enforce mandatory overtime during the "all hands on deck" period, Roosevelt Poplar, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, told ESPN.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
“They are basically taking over the roads of this county,” said Lee Holland, president of the Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 35.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
After a few years of being a community hub for Jewish L.A., the building was sold in 1930 to the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2024
Southwest said Friday that a tentative new contract with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association would give its mechanics industry-leading compensation.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2023
Fraternal twins, on the other hand, lack the amount of theatricality he had expected, but he has Marco arrange the delivery of two enormous bouquets of red roses anyway.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
