fraternal

adjective

fra·​ter·​nal frə-ˈtər-nᵊl How to pronounce fraternal (audio)
Synonyms of fraternalnext
1
a
: of, relating to, or involving brothers
fraternal love
b
: of, relating to, or being a fraternity or society
a fraternal order
a fraternal chapter house
2
: derived from two ova : dizygotic
fraternal twins
3
: friendly, brotherly
There was a fraternal feeling among the troops.
fraternalism
frə-ˈtər-nə-ˌliz-əm How to pronounce fraternal (audio)
noun
fraternally
frə-ˈtər-nᵊl-ē How to pronounce fraternal (audio)
adverb

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of fraternal in a Sentence

He belonged to a fraternal organization. There was a fraternal feeling among the troops.
Recent Examples on the Web The groups had a tradition of camping in concentric circles—a cross between an Old West wagon formation and a suburban subdivision, often complete with pink plastic lawn flamingos—and wore matching blue berets that suggested a rolling fraternal lodge. —Steven Melendez, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024 The casino-like slot machines have proliferated across the state in recent years at gas stations, truck stops, and fraternal organizations and exist in a legal gray area. —Anna Sago and, Kansas City Star, 2 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for fraternal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fraternal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin fraternalis, from Latin fraternus, from frater brother — more at brother

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fraternal was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing fraternal

Dictionary Entries Near fraternal

frater

fraternal

fraternal benefit society

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Fraternal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraternal. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

fraternal

adjective
fra·​ter·​nal frə-ˈtərn-ᵊl How to pronounce fraternal (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to brothers
b
: of, relating to, or being a fraternity
2
: kindly entry 1 sense 2, friendly
fraternally
-ᵊl-ē How to pronounce fraternal (audio)
adverb

Medical Definition

fraternal

adjective
fra·​ter·​nal frə-ˈtərn-ᵊl How to pronounce fraternal (audio)
: derived from two ova : dizygotic
fraternal twins

More from Merriam-Webster on fraternal

Nglish: Translation of fraternal for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of fraternal for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway

How to Use Accents and Diacritical Marks
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Pilfer: How to Play and Win

The Words of the Week - May 24

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

9 Superb Owl Words

10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...