fraternity

American  

[fruh-tur-ni-tee] / frəˈtɜr nɪ ti /

noun

plural

fraternities

1. a local or national organization of male students, primarily for social purposes, usually with secret initiation and rites and a name composed of two or three Greek letters.

2. a group of persons associated by or as if by ties of brotherhood.

3. any group or class of persons having common purposes, interests, etc..

   the medical fraternity.

4. an organization of laymen for religious or charitable purposes; sodality.

5. the quality of being brotherly; brotherhood.

   liberty, equality, and fraternity.

6. the relation of a brother or between brothers.

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fraternity British  

/ frəˈtɜːnɪtɪ /

noun

1. Gender-neutral form: community.  a body of people united in interests, aims, etc

   the teaching fraternity

2. brotherhood

3. a secret society joined by male students, usually functioning as a social club

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Other Word Forms

• interfraternity adjective
• nonfraternity noun

Etymology

Origin of fraternity

1300–50; Middle English fraternite < Latin frāternitās. See fraternal, -ity

Example Sentences

Does he socialise much with the mysterious moss fraternity?

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

Some fraternity brothers soon began placing bets that Bezos would not attend.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

University of Miami fraternity brothers may have used insider information to bet on Kalshi regarding Jeff Bezos’ Super Bowl attendance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Koy and Iglesias are now part of a small fraternity of comics, including Kevin Hart, Dane Cook, Bill Burr and Larry the Cable Guy, who’ve sold out stadiums across the country.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

He joined a fraternity and began dating girls from wealthy families.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• camaraderie
• guild
• sorority