Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

fraternity

play
noun fra·ter·ni·ty \ frə-ˈtər-nə-tē \

Definition of fraternity

plural fraternities
1 :a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest, or pleasure: such as
a :a fraternal order
b :guild 1
c :a men's student organization formed chiefly for social purposes having secret rites and a name consisting of Greek letters
d :a student organization for scholastic, professional, or extracurricular activities
  • a debating fraternity
2 :the quality or state of being brothers :brotherliness
3 :persons of the same class, profession, character, or tastes
  • the racetrack fraternity

See fraternity defined for English-language learners

See fraternity defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye
image2143067130
9 Slang Words With Academic Origins
alt-59bab5dbb4997
Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Examples of fraternity in a Sentence

  1. an atmosphere of fraternity and cooperation

  2. a firm believer in community service and a dedicated member of the local fraternity of Good Samaritans

Recent Examples of fraternity from the Web

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

First Known Use of fraternity

14th century

fraternity Synonyms

Synonyms
board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fellowship, association, guild (also gild), institute, institution, league, order, organization, society, sodality
Related Words
collective, commune, community, cooperative; alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership; body, cadre, group; circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, junto, klatch (also klatsch), lot, set; crew, outfit, party, squad, team; branch, chapter, local; faithful, fold, membership; sisterhood, sorority; cabal, camarilla, camorra, confederacy, conspiracy; band, gang, ring; cartel, combine, syndicate

FRATERNITY Defined for English Language Learners

fraternity

play
noun

Definition of fraternity for English Language Learners

  • : an organization of male students at a U.S. college

  • : a group of people who have the same job, interests, etc.

  • : the feeling of friendship that exists between people in a group

FRATERNITY Defined for Kids

fraternity

play
noun fra·ter·ni·ty \ frə-ˈtər-nə-tē \

Definition of fraternity for Students

plural fraternities
:a club of boys or men (as in a college)

Learn More about fraternity

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

Seen and Heard

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

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

holus-bolus

play

all at once

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  2. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  3. allegory No spoilers!

  4. hurricane 'A tropical cyclone'

  5. rescind To take away; cancel; repeal

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

fraternity

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

alt-59bff395cf879
What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

alt-59bad350d88f1
Welcome to the New Words

From 'hive mind' to 'sriracha'

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
name-that-color-logo
Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Citation
Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game
Examples: fraternity in a Sentence