fraternal
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
1Other words from fraternal
- 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
Words Nearby fraternal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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.
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 | TimeThey 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 | TimeBanquet 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 PostThe 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.”
How many people get called by the fraternal Order of the Police and say no?
The nonvoters include 16 experts, eight fraternal delegates and 38 auditors of whom 12 are married couples.
This was more than just the fraternal bond between firefighters and police officers; this was family.
He was also the local president of the Union League, a fraternal organization closely aligned with the Republican Party.
Suddenly both cheeks were painted black by a too fraternal hand, and then a man tried to kiss her.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonHis words had been more fraternal than lover-like; but she had lost their exact sense in the caressing warmth of his voice.
Summer | Edith WhartonDear Mother, by thy heart pierced through, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.
Mary, Help of Christians | VariousHis 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 BettsThis 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
/ (frəˈtɜːnəl) /
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 ova: Compare identical (def. 3)
Origin of fraternal
1Derived forms of fraternal
- fraternalism, noun
- fraternally, adverb
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
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