fraternal

play

adjective fra·ter·nal \frə-ˈtər-n^əl\

Definition of fraternal

1a : of, relating to, or involving brothers fraternal loveb : 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

play \frə-ˈtər-nə-ˌliz-əm\ noun

fraternally

play \frə-ˈtər-n^əl-ē\ adverb

See fraternal defined for English-language learners

See fraternal defined for kids

Examples of fraternal in a Sentence

He belonged to a fraternal organization.
There was a fraternal feeling among the troops.

Recent Examples of fraternal from the Web

Lincoln-Way East seniors John and Jacob Slager are fraternal twins rather than identical twins.

— gene chamberlain, Daily Southtown, "Lincoln-Way East routs St. Charles North, but North Stars rally in Game 2," 18 July 2017
For fraternal twins, the match dropped to 35 percent.

— pam belluck, New York Times, "Study of How We Look at Faces May Offer Insight Into Autism," 12 July 2017
The corresponding rate for fraternal twins is around 40 percent.

— nicholette zeliadt, Washington Post, "Is there such a thing as an autism gene?," 30 June 2017
Property Brothers is a show on HGTV wherein allegedly fraternal twins named Drew and Jonathan Scott help people find and fix homes.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "What If Melania Is the One Recording Property Brothers on Air Force One?," 22 June 2017
And a happy birthday to Angela, who’s wishing one in turn to her identical twin sister and fraternal twin brother.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: Dems' Vital Vote," 20 June 2017
Identical twins share nearly 100 percent of their genes, while fraternal twins share about 50 percent.

— mark barna, Discover Magazine, "Everything Worth Knowing About ... Autism Spectrum Disorder," 19 June 2017
Knights of Columbus is a nonprofit family fraternal service organization.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Calendar," 15 June 2017
Knights of Columbus is a nonprofit family fraternal service organization.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Calendar," 15 June 2017

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