fraternal

adjective

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fra·ter·nal | \ frə-ˈtər-nᵊl

Definition of fraternal

1a : 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

3 : friendly, brotherly There was a fraternal feeling among the troops.

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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 The 2-acre East Jefferson site was once occupied by commercial buildings that were demolished in the 1960s, as well as the old University Club fraternal organization, which closed years ago and was demolished after a 2013 fire. — Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Small-format Meijer store to break ground near downtown Detroit this summer," 12 May 2020 So were born Sturgeon and Roe, my blue oyster and lion’s mane fraternal mushroom twins. — Toniann Fernandez, Bon Appétit, "I Ordered Two Bags of Dirt, and a Week Later I Had Mushrooms," 24 Apr. 2020 In the case of the St. Patrick’s Day parade, Mr. Duffy ruled in 1993 that the parade’s sponsor, a Roman Catholic fraternal order, had a constitutional right as a private organization to bar the gay and lesbian group from marching. — Joseph P. Fried, BostonGlobe.com, "Kevin Thomas Duffy, US judge in terrorism cases, 87," 2 Apr. 2020 In the case of the St. Patrick’s Day parade, Judge Duffy ruled in 1993 that the parade’s sponsor, a Roman Catholic fraternal order, had a constitutional right as a private organization to bar the gay and lesbian group from marching. — Joseph P. Fried, New York Times, "Kevin Thomas Duffy, U.S. Judge in Terrorism Cases, Dies at 87," 1 Apr. 2020 Across the town square from their regular meetup, a software start-up has taken over a facade built 174 years ago by a fraternal order. — Dan Zak, Washington Post, "Why Iowa?," 30 Jan. 2020 Hermann Sons started in 1840 when German immigrants first banded together in New York City to create the fraternal order. — René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, "Old Hermann Sons window sees new life at the San Antonio landmark," 28 Jan. 2020 The fraternal twins, who play with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) AAU program during the offseason, have eye-popping potential. — Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, "Saint Joseph Prep boys’ basketball experiencing a growth spurt," 24 Feb. 2020 Ironically, the fraternal twins have taken near-opposite paths to develop as basketball players. — cleveland, "Laurel basketball’s Taylor and Haley Thierry carry on the lineage of an athletically gifted family," 17 Jan. 2020

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.