brotherhood

American  

[bruhth-er-hood] / ˈbrʌð ərˌhʊd /

noun

• brotherhoods
  plural

1. the condition or quality of being a brother or brothers.

2. the quality of being brotherly; fellowship.

3. a fraternal or trade organization.

4. all those engaged in a particular trade or profession or sharing a common interest or quality.

5. the belief that all people should act with warmth and equality toward one another, regardless of differences in nationality, creed, ethnicity, etc.

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brotherhood British  

/ ˈbrʌðəˌhʊd /

noun

1. the state of being related as a brother or brothers

2. an association or fellowship, such as a trade union

3. all persons engaged in a particular profession, trade, etc

4. the belief, feeling, or hope that all people should regard and treat one another as equals

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• brotherhoods
  plural

Etymology

Origin of brotherhood

1250–1300; Middle English brithirhod ( see brother, -hood); replacing early Middle English brotherhede; see -head

Explanation

The relationship between a boy or man and his male siblings is known as brotherhood. Feeling that kind of connection with other people, even if you're not related, is also a kind of brotherhood. This word is limited to the male gender; in families, brotherhood is the relationship between brothers. To include all of your siblings, you can use the term siblinghood. Members of fraternal organizations — clubs or societies of men with common interests or jobs — also feel a sense of brotherhood. A more inclusive name, one that would allow for all genders, might be kinship, alliance, or association.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brotherhood brotherhoods

He'd initially recorded the lyrics as a guide for Gwangwa - but the musician decided to keep some of them intact "as a gesture of brotherhood".

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The code of silence baked into the Greek life brotherhood was broken after his dramatic arrest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

“And we’re a brotherhood, a family, and the ball gets spread out. Even if one guy is doing really well, I know every one of them will be ready when it’s their time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

The brotherhood was founded in 1970 by Lefebvre, a French bishop.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Those few black souls lucky enough to get work from Swift and the other meatpackers were good union men, treated as members of the butcher brotherhood.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Most of the other thousand or more brotherhoods represent a local wine, cheese or traditional dish.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 3, 2023

The leaders of Senegal’s influential Muslim brotherhoods have urged protesters to show restraint in the days ahead.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2021

The leaders of Senegal’s influential Muslim brotherhoods on Sunday urged protesters to show restraint in the days ahead.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 8, 2021

Jia Zhangke takes an empathetic look at criminal brotherhoods in China in his new gangster film Ash Is Purest White.

From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2019

Schools are supposed to be catacombed with secret societies and underground brotherhoods, and as far as they knew here was one which had just come to the surface.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• fraternity
• guild
• partnership