brotherly

adjective broth·er·ly \ ˈbrə-t͟hər-lē \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of brotherly

1 : of or relating to brothers

2 : natural or becoming to brothers : affectionate

brotherly love

—

brotherliness

noun

—

brotherly

adverb

See brotherly defined for English-language learners

See brotherly defined for kids

Examples of brotherly in a Sentence

He gave his sister a brotherly hug.
He received brotherly support from his fellow priests.

Recent Examples of brotherly from the Web

Josh’s illness deepens and becomes more severe, leading to a scene wherein Quinto and Hamm (ill-used to this point) manage to sketch, in just a few minutes, a lifetime of brotherly misunderstanding.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "'Aardvark' gets up your nose | Movie review," 11 Apr. 2018
USA TODAY Sports Tuesday is National Siblings Day, and what would the NFL be without some brotherly competition?

— michael middlehurst-schwartz, USA TODAY, "National Siblings Day: Which brothers were best NFL draft prospects?," 10 Apr. 2018
About two months after the Eagles gave the city of brotherly love the Super Bowl title its always craved, Villanova's men's basketball team delivered a decisive college basketball national title.

— langston wertz jr., charlotteobserver, "Villanova blasts Michigan in NCAA final. Social media reacts | Charlotte Observer," 2 Apr. 2018
Stroman, another darling of the account, commented back to express baseball brotherly love for McCullers.

— hunter atkins, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' Lance McCullers Jr. experiments with leg kick in final spring start," 26 Mar. 2018
In an act of true brotherly love, the next snap shows baseball star Drake tossing a ball at Duke, who was distracted pushing his sisters on a swing.

— megan stein, PEOPLE.com, "Chip and Joanna Gaines' 12-Year-Old Son, Drake, Hams It Up Like Dad During Backyard Playdate," 5 Mar. 2018
The band of brotherly musicians is an offshoot of other projects.

— vickie snow jurkowski, Daily Southtown, "In March, Matt Zach & Tom throw some Irish into the mix, but keep the comma at bay," 7 Mar. 2018
Jacob DiMaria, a technologist at Ford Motor Co., said the car sculpture grew out of brotherly competition.

— hasan dudar, Detroit Free Press, "Dearborn man makes a 1965 Ford Mustang out of snow," 13 Feb. 2018
Marti Gobel directs Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's staging of Tarell Alvin McCraney's drama of brotherly love, infused with Yoruba elements.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "22 intriguing Milwaukee performances in early 2018," 4 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brotherly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of brotherly

before 12th century

brotherly Synonyms

Synonyms

fraternal;

Related Words

familial, sisterly;

chummy, friendly, neighborly;

BROTHERLY Defined for English Language Learners

brotherly

adjective

Definition of brotherly for English Language Learners

: showing or suggesting the love and closeness of a brother

BROTHERLY Defined for Kids

brotherly

adjective broth·er·ly \ ˈbrə-t͟hər-lē \

Definition of brotherly for Students

1 : of or relating to brothers

2 : ²kind 1, affectionate

Learn More about brotherly

See words that rhyme with brotherly Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for brotherly Spanish Central: Translation of brotherly Nglish: Translation of brotherly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of brotherly for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up brotherly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

brotherly

Definition of brotherly

brotherliness

brotherly

Examples of brotherly in a Sentence

Recent Examples of brotherly from the Web

First Known Use of brotherly

brotherly Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

BROTHERLY Defined for English Language Learners

brotherly

Definition of brotherly for English Language Learners

BROTHERLY Defined for Kids

brotherly

Definition of brotherly for Students

Learn More about brotherly

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Trending: Trump: Den of Thieves and 'Lowlifes'

The Adverb: A Most Fascinating POS

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes