confrere
noun
a fellow member of a fraternity, profession, etc.; colleague.
confrere
American
[kon-frair]
/ ˈkɒn frɛər /
noun
confrère
British
/ ˈkɒnfrɛə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of confrere
1425–75; late Middle English < Middle French < Medieval Latin confrāter colleague, equivalent to Latin con- con- + frāter brother
Explanation
A confrere is not quite the same as a buddy. It's a fellow worker, a member of your professional group or an esteemed peer. Think of the noun confrere as a very French sounding way to say "colleague." In fact, frere means "brother" in French, so a confrere is like someone who's a part of your professional brotherhood. Except these days that brotherhood has been expanded to include all of the working women of the world.
Vocabulary lists containing confrere
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.
“They have insinuated infamy on the integrity of my priestly life, having financed witnesses in a trial against a confrere, even being the owner of oil wells or tax havens.”
From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2022
In the crowd were the actors Tony Danza, Tony Lo Bianco and Jelani Remy; Monty Alexander, a jazz pianist; and Deana Martin, an entertainer and daughter of the Sinatra confrere Dean Martin.
From New York Times • Sep. 25, 2019
In Owen, Casey has found a willing confrere.
From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2014
Gardner has been a renowned poet, the confrere of Yeats and Frost, whom he tellingly quotes.
From Time Magazine Archive
Like his confrere, he remained upon the Bench until he died, which was in extreme old age.
From The Memories of Fifty Years Containing Brief Biographical Notices of Distinguished Americans, and Anecdotes of Remarkable Men; Interspersed with Scenes and Incidents Occurring during a Long Life of Observation Chiefly Spent in the Southwest by Sparks, William Henry
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.
