fraternal
Americanadjective
-
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.
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 ova Compare identical
Other Word Forms
- fraternalism noun
- fraternally adverb
- interfraternal adjective
- interfraternally adverb
- nonfraternal adjective
- nonfraternally adverb
- prefraternal adjective
- prefraternally adverb
- quasi-fraternal adjective
- quasi-fraternally adverb
- unfraternal adjective
- unfraternally adverb
Etymology
Origin of fraternal
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin frātern ( us ) fraternal (derivative of frāter brother ) + -al 1
Compare meaning
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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.
At 26, Carpenter is precisely half of Miss Piggy’s age, and yet they could be fraternal twins.
From Salon
Caitlin and Grace were in different amniotic sacs in the womb, so their parents believed they were fraternal twins.
From BBC
When he returned, he was confused to see the group toasting the fraternal comradeship of the Third Reich and the USSR.
From Salon
French President Emmanuel Macron has offered "the full solidarity of France and our fraternal support" to Switzerland.
From BBC
The sense that firefighters are retreating behind a fraternal code of silence is fueling an intense anger among Palisadians.
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.
