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 of brotherly

• 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

Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista don’t have time for much brotherly love in the trailer for Amazon MGM Studios‘ action-comedy feature The Wrecking Crew. —Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026

His teammates often roll their eyes when talking about his antics with a brotherly reverence. —Jared Weiss, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026

Their relationship evolves from one technical competition into a soulful, brotherly alliance that serves as an act of defiance against a merciless system. —Robert Lang, Deadline, 30 Dec. 2025

More than 10 years ago, when brotherly filmmaking duo Matt and Ross Duffer first created the universe of the soon-to-be Netflix mega-hit, their bosses at the streamer came to ask about the TV show's mythology. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 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