as in patricide
the crime of purposefully ending the life of your own brother or sister
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Recent Examples of fratricide
Here, Hamlet is a melancholy suburban prince named Juicy, in a Black family rocked by betrayal and fratricide and ghosts who pop out of backyard grills.
—
Chris Richards, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023
The problem with the plan was fratricide, among other wanton cellular murders.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 31 Aug. 2023
The Type-1a supernovae don’t come from solitary stars sitting around waiting to die, but from a case of pure stellar fratricide.
—Popular Mechanics, 18 Apr. 2023
Rumors of Njinga committing fratricide or engaging in cannibalism are treated with similar caution.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fratricide
Chris Richards, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023
The problem with the plan was fratricide, among other wanton cellular murders.
—Jason Mast, STAT, 31 Aug. 2023
The Type-1a supernovae don’t come from solitary stars sitting around waiting to die, but from a case of pure stellar fratricide.
—Popular Mechanics, 18 Apr. 2023
Rumors of Njinga committing fratricide or engaging in cannibalism are treated with similar caution.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fratricide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fratricide
Noun
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Walt had long described himself as a benevolent father to his workers, and the strike seemed an act of personal betrayal and disloyalty verging on patricide.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
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The second season’s focus on the Menendez brothers’ patricide is loud, confrontational, and approaches the case from multiple perspectives at once, which can either come across as daring or incoherent.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
24 May 2025
Noun
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This is what's known as a parricide, where somebody kills their parents.—
Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
5 Jan. 2026
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The double killing of one's parents, known as parricide, is a rare event, according to Dr. Kathleen Heide, Ph.D., professor of criminology at the University of South Florida and author of Why Kids Kill Parents: Child Abuse and Adolescent Homicide.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
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At the center of the installation is the myth of Orestes, which hinges on the justification of matricide.—
Eana Kim,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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According to a new study published in Current Biology on Monday, Nov. 17, several species of parasitic ants have evolved a way to manipulate worker ants into killing their own queen — a form of matricide that biologists say has never been observed in this exact form.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The radical shifts in France — regicide, the Committee of Public Safety’s terror, and expansionist campaigns — dissolved the moral and practical basis for the alliance.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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With examples drawn from Scripture and across the length of history, Paine commits rhetorical regicide.—
Matthew Redmond
August 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Jaclyn Skuce, 43, of Madison, was convicted of capital murder after hiring a man to kill the child’s father in order to prevent him from gaining custody or further visitation, the Morgan County District Attorney’s Office said.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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No remains were uncovered, but a month later, both Flores men were arrested and charged in connection with Smart’s murder.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Noun
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Each year in the United States there are nearly 500 arrests for filicide – which is the legal term for when parents kill their children – according to an analysis of FBI data by Forensic Science International.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
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That number doesn't include the many filicides that end with parents taking their own lives.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Jackson's death was later declared a homicide at the hands of Murray, who administered the fatal dose of Propofol.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
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More than two decades after a North Carolina teen died in what was considered a hit-and-run, investigators now say a police officer has been identified as a person of interest in the homicide case.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fratricide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fratricide. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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