fraternal

[ fruh-tur-nl ]

/ frəˈtɜr nl /

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adjective

of or befitting a brother or brothers; brotherly.

of or being a society of men associated in brotherly union, as for mutual aid or benefit: a fraternal order; a fraternal association.

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Origin of fraternal

1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin frātern(us) fraternal (derivative of frāterbrother) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM fraternal

fra·ter·nal·ism, nounfra·ter·nal·ly, adverbin·ter·fra·ter·nal, adjectivein·ter·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb

non·fra·ter·nal, adjectivenon·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbpre·fra·ter·nal, adjectivepre·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbqua·si-fra·ter·nal, adjectivequa·si-fra·ter·nal·ly, adverbun·fra·ter·nal, adjectiveun·fra·ter·nal·ly, adverb

Words nearby fraternal

frass, frat, fratch, fratching, frater, fraternal, fraternal insurance, fraternal society, fraternal twin, fraternity, fraternity house

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fraternal in a sentence

Throughout his 21 years in power, Putin has seen Ukraine as a fraternal nation, tied to Russia by bonds of faith, family, politics, and a millennium of common history.
The Untold Story of the Ukraine Crisis|Simon Shuster/Kyiv|February 2, 2022|Time
Boys’ lodges and fraternal bodies such as the Boy Scouts began to crop up, aimed at preventing “feminization” of young boys.
Empires and ‘Effeminate Men.’ After Britain and America, It’s China’s Turn to Worry about Masculinity|Debasish Roy Chowdhury|September 10, 2021|Time
They have structures of fraternal bonding, they have the organizational social elements that are very similar to the armed forces—and they’re built that way deliberately.
Inside One Combat Vet's Journey From Defending His Country to Storming the Capitol|W.J. Hennigan/Washington|July 9, 2021|Time
Banquet halls, concert venues and social and fraternal clubs will remain limited to 50 percent maximum capacity.
Maryland lifting capacity restrictions on restaurants, entertainment venues|Ovetta Wiggins, Rebecca Tan, Rachel Chason|May 12, 2021|Washington Post

The Craft, as members call it, was based on a fraternal bond created by ritual and symbol.
What the Freemasons Taught the World About the Power of Secrecy|John Dickie|August 13, 2020|Time
In hindsight, however, he feels that the suspension has “had a positive impact on the fraternal community.”
Fraternities in a Post-UVA World|Samantha Allen|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How many people get called by the Fraternal Order of the Police and say no?
The GOP and Police Unions: A Love Story|Eleanor Clift|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The nonvoters include 16 experts, eight fraternal delegates and 38 auditors of whom 12 are married couples.
The Pope vs. the Church on Family Values?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This was more than just the fraternal bond between firefighters and police officers; this was family.
The Resilient City: New York After 9/11|John Avlon|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was also the local president of the Union League, a fraternal organization closely aligned with the Republican Party.
Enough With This 'Lost Cause' Nonsense|Justin Green|February 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Suddenly both cheeks were painted black by a too fraternal hand, and then a man tried to kiss her.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
His words had been more fraternal than lover-like; but she had lost their exact sense in the caressing warmth of his voice.
Summer|Edith Wharton
Dear Mother, by thy heart pierced through, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.
Mary, Help of Christians|Various
His manner of greeting the family and friends was so expressive of fraternal sympathy that one felt it a privilege to witness it.
The Leaven in a Great City|Lillian William Betts
This model of fraternal affection rode off with the mule lest it should get stolen, and left his brother in the snow till morning!
The Cradle of Mankind|W.A. Wigram

British Dictionary definitions for fraternal

fraternal

/ (frəˈtɜːnəl) /

adjective

of or suitable to a brother; brotherly

of or relating to a fraternity

designating either or both of a pair of twins of the same or opposite sex that developed from two separate fertilized ovaCompare identical (def. 3)

Derived forms of fraternal

fraternalism, nounfraternally, adverb

Word Origin for fraternal

C15: from Latin frāternus, from frāter brother

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fraternal

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Origin of fraternal

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Words nearby fraternal

Words related to fraternal

How to use fraternal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fraternal

Derived forms of fraternal

Word Origin for fraternal