brotherly

adjective

broth·​er·​ly ˈbrə-t͟hər-lē 

1

: of or relating to brothers

2

: natural or becoming to brothers : affectionate

brotherly love

brotherliness noun

brotherly adverb

Synonyms

• fraternal

Examples of brotherly in a Sentence

He gave his sister a brotherly hug.

He received brotherly support from his fellow priests.

Recent Examples on the Web

And was there brotherly love between the famously feuding Gallagher siblings? —CNN Money, 5 July 2025

The post ended with a sweet sunset video of the siblings enjoying brotherly time on the boat, trading and trying on cowboy hats. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 2 July 2025

Meanwhile, Vampire Diaries' stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder turned on their humanity IRL, forming a brotherly connection and launching their own bourbon brand in 2021. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 25 June 2025

The sweep by the Braves, coupled with the Phillies taking three of four from the Marlins, dropped the Mets into a tie for first with their brotherly love foes heading into this weekend’s series in Philadelphia. —Jerry Beach, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brotherly

• motherly
• southerly

Kids Definition

brotherly

adjective

broth·​er·​ly ˈbrət͟h-ər-lē 

1

: of or relating to brothers

2

: kindly entry 1 sense 2, affectionate

brotherliness noun