fraternal
adjective
fra·ter·nal
frə-ˈtər-nᵊl 
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
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
Learn more about the fraternal birth order effect and the dark history of scientific sexuality research on Short Wave.
—
Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
The International Order of Odd Fellows was one of the many fraternal organizations Americans joined in the 1800s.
—Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
France, paying lip service to ideals of fraternal alliance, will perpetuate its political and economic exploitation.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
And the veneer of fraternal understanding between Thomas and Peter melts away.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
Cha and Pacheco Pardo offer a sure-footed guide to the two countries’ divergent paths and their fraught fraternal relationship.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
And Dennis Morris pointed to Hunter Biden’s fraternal bond with their wider family.
—Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024
Mukesh Ambani faced a bitter fraternal feud after his father died.
—Anto Antony, Fortune Asia, 1 Mar. 2024
Afterward, Sagan founded a whimsical scientific fraternal organization, the Order of the Dolphin, that was partially inspired by Lilly’s work.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 28 Feb. 2024
Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
The International Order of Odd Fellows was one of the many fraternal organizations Americans joined in the 1800s.
—Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
France, paying lip service to ideals of fraternal alliance, will perpetuate its political and economic exploitation.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
And the veneer of fraternal understanding between Thomas and Peter melts away.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
Cha and Pacheco Pardo offer a sure-footed guide to the two countries’ divergent paths and their fraught fraternal relationship.
—Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
And Dennis Morris pointed to Hunter Biden’s fraternal bond with their wider family.
—Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024
Mukesh Ambani faced a bitter fraternal feud after his father died.
—Anto Antony, Fortune Asia, 1 Mar. 2024
Afterward, Sagan founded a whimsical scientific fraternal organization, the Order of the Dolphin, that was partially inspired by Lilly’s work.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 28 Feb. 2024
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Fraternal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraternal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fraternal
adjective
fra·ter·nal
frə-ˈtərn-ᵊl
1
a
: of or relating to brothers
b
: of, relating to, or being a fraternity
Medical Definition
fraternal
adjective
fra·ter·nal
frə-ˈtərn-ᵊl
: derived from two ova : dizygotic
fraternal twins
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