fraternization
Americannoun
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the act of associating with a person or group in a friendly way.
He sees race relations in Brazil as relatively harmonious, with fraternization in sports and carnivals.
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social or, especially, intimate association with natives of a conquered country, with enemy or allied troops, between members of an organization who are of different ranks, etc..
The colonel was disciplined for fraternization with a junior enlisted airman.
Etymology
Origin of fraternization
First recorded in 1790–1800; fraterniz(e) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )
Explanation
The act of hanging out or being friendly with other people, especially people you don't usually associate with, is fraternization. Your field hockey coach may discourage fraternization with the opposing team. Some fraternization is innocent, friendly fun, like the fraternization you do after work with your co-workers, people you wouldn't necessarily socialize with if you didn't happen to work together. There's also "fraternization with the enemy," which has a more sinister, treasonous implication, particularly in the military or government. The word fraternization comes from the Latin word for "brotherly," fraternus.
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.
The company maintains strict divisions between departments, and romantic fraternization is discouraged.
From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2022
While no fraternization between the teams was allowed, Lesko remembers great camaraderie among her teammates.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 5, 2022
Officers on both sides opposed the fraternization, which is why some contemporary histories of the war downplayed or ignored the magnitude of the event.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2021
But fraternization rules and mandatory training don’t seem to improve the culture of workplaces, Elsesser said.
From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2018
This disaster was brought about by fraternization, or friendly relations, between the soldiers of the Austro-German and Italian armies.
From Short Stories of Various Types by Freck, Laura F.
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.
