fraternal

[ fruh-tur-nl ]

adjective

1. of or befitting a brother or brothers; brotherly.
2. of or being a society of men associated in brotherly union, as for mutual aid or benefit:

   a fraternal order; a fraternal association.

fraternal

/ frəˈtɜːnəl /

adjective

1. of or suitable to a brother; brotherly
2. of or relating to a fraternity
3. See identical
   designating either or both of a pair of twins of the same or opposite sex that developed from two separate fertilized ova Compare identical

Derived Forms

• fraˈternalism, noun
• fraˈternally, adverb

Other Words From

• fra·ternal·ism noun
• fra·ternal·ly adverb
• inter·fra·ternal adjective
• inter·fra·ternal·ly adverb
• nonfra·ternal adjective
• nonfra·ternal·ly adverb
• prefra·ternal adjective
• prefra·ternal·ly adverb
• quasi-fra·ternal adjective
• quasi-fra·ternal·ly adverb
• unfra·ternal adjective
• unfra·ternal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fraternal¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin frātern ( us ) fraternal (derivative of frāter brother ) + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of fraternal¹

C15: from Latin frāternus , from frāter brother

Example Sentences

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.

From Time

Boys’ lodges and fraternal bodies such as the Boy Scouts began to crop up, aimed at preventing “feminization” of young boys.

From 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.

From Time

Banquet halls, concert venues and social and fraternal clubs will remain limited to 50 percent maximum capacity.

From Washington Post

The Craft, as members call it, was based on a fraternal bond created by ritual and symbol.

From Time

In hindsight, however, he feels that the suspension has “had a positive impact on the fraternal community.”

From The Daily Beast

How many people get called by the Fraternal Order of the Police and say no?

From The Daily Beast

The nonvoters include 16 experts, eight fraternal delegates and 38 auditors of whom 12 are married couples.

From The Daily Beast

This was more than just the fraternal bond between firefighters and police officers; this was family.

From The Daily Beast

He was also the local president of the Union League, a fraternal organization closely aligned with the Republican Party.

From The Daily Beast

Suddenly both cheeks were painted black by a too fraternal hand, and then a man tried to kiss her.

From Project Gutenberg

His words had been more fraternal than lover-like; but she had lost their exact sense in the caressing warmth of his voice.

From Project Gutenberg

Dear Mother, by thy heart pierced through, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.

From Project Gutenberg

His manner of greeting the family and friends was so expressive of fraternal sympathy that one felt it a privilege to witness it.

From Project Gutenberg

This model of fraternal affection rode off with the mule lest it should get stolen, and left his brother in the snow till morning!

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• congenial
• friendly