brotherly

adjective

broth·​er·​ly ˈbrə-t͟hər-lē How to pronounce brotherly (audio)
1
: of or relating to brothers
2
: natural or becoming to brothers : affectionate
brotherly love
brotherliness noun
brotherly adverb

Examples of brotherly in a Sentence

He gave his sister a brotherly hug. He received brotherly support from his fellow priests.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Aside from the literal brotherly bond between the brothers Cave, the band that had started together in a small town in northern Queensland, relocated to Los Angeles to follow a dream, and made that dream a reality, found strength as a unit. Brendan Menapace, SPIN, 4 Nov. 2024 Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli do brotherly battle in An Enemy of the People While the production is truly a visual feast, there are a few moments where Romeo + Juliet stumbles, the biggest one being that there are several scenes where having the same actor play two roles feels jarring. EW.com, 25 Oct. 2024 The boys grew up in the small town of Jennings, La., with a competitive brotherly bond that pushed them to excel on the field. Skyler Trepel, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024 James, however, was highly praised by fans for his part in attempting to vet the contestants, being vocal about his concerns over Tran’s suitors, and his overall brotherly wisdom. Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brotherly 

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brotherly was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near brotherly

Cite this Entry

“Brotherly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brotherly. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

brotherly

adjective
broth·​er·​ly ˈbrət͟h-ər-lē How to pronounce brotherly (audio)
1
: of or relating to brothers
2
brotherliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on brotherly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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