fratricide
noun
frat·ri·cide
ˈfra-trə-ˌsīd 
1
: one that murders or kills his or her own brother or sister or an individual (such as a countryman) having a relationship like that of a brother or sister
2
: the act of a fratricide
Examples of fratricide in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The place where Dante cast endless sinners, upside down in hellholes of their own carving, or in the tangled forest of suicides, or with the fratricides in the ninth circle, all of them eternally condemned.
—
Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
The fratricide overshadowed Caracalla’s achievements, including the passage of an edict granting all free men in the Roman Empire citizenship and the construction of a luxurious public bath complex that bore the emperor’s name.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
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
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.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fratricide
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
The fratricide overshadowed Caracalla’s achievements, including the passage of an edict granting all free men in the Roman Empire citizenship and the construction of a luxurious public bath complex that bore the emperor’s name.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
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
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.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fratricide
Cite this Entry
“Fratricide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fratricide. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
fratricide
noun
frat·ri·cide
ˈfra-trə-ˌsīd
1
: one that murders or kills his or her own brother or sister or an individual (as a countryman) having a relationship like that of a brother or sister
2
: the act of a fratricide
Etymology
Middle French, from Latin fratricida, from fratr-, frater brother + -cida killing
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share