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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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
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When Joe is implicated in financial misdeeds connected to land deals conducted on the tribe’s behalf, Mack seizes upon the news to banish Joe from the reservation, a symbolic patricide also intended to damage Gloria’s campaign.—
Christopher Sorrentino,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 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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In the illuminated texts of the medieval and early Renaissance periods, artists decided to rachet up the horrors of Agrippina’s matricide.—
Diana Arterian
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
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Several generate physical action that, besides wickedness, is driven by rage — fights, accidents, assaults, pederasty, filicide, matricide.—
Stuart Dybek,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 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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Tucker's defense attorney argued she was intoxicated during the crime, but she was found guilty of capital murder.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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Bush was charged with murder, home invasion and criminal possession of a firearm.—
Naveen Dhaliwal,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Several generate physical action that, besides wickedness, is driven by rage — fights, accidents, assaults, pederasty, filicide, matricide.—
Stuart Dybek,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2025
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One study of maternal filicide observed that, whereas psychotic mothers often acted suddenly, depressed mothers tended to contemplate killing their children for days or weeks before acting.—
Eren Orbey,
The New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The driver in the Philadelphia crash was later charged with DUI homicide.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
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The medical examiner determined Moore’s cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death to be homicide.—
Kathryn Kovalenko,
Twin Cities,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fratricide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fratricide. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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