confrere

noun

con·​frere ˈkän-ˌfrer 

kōⁿ-ˌ,

kän-ˈ,

kōⁿ-ˈ,

kən-ˈ 

variants or less commonly confrère

: colleague, comrade

Did you know?

Confrere arrived in English from Anglo-French in the 15th century, and ultimately derives from the Medieval Latin confrater, meaning "brother" or "fellow." (Frater, the root of this term, shares an ancient ancestor with our word brother.) English speakers also began using another descendant of confrater in the 15th century: confraternity, meaning "a society devoted to a religious or charitable cause." In the past, confrere was often used specifically of a fellow member of a confraternity, but these days it is used more generally.

Synonyms

• associate
• colleague
• coworker

Examples of confrere in a Sentence

many of the judge's confreres on the Fifth Circuit bench don't feel as she does on the issue

Recent Examples on the Web

With the show, Tigerman and his confreres, who quickly became known as the Chicago Four (later the Chicago Seven), had made their point about Chicago eclecticism. —Blair Kamin, chicagotribune.com, 4 June 2019

Designed by Los Angeles architecture firm Johnston Marklee, the $40 million Institute adds a significant new structure to the ensemble that is more open and buoyant than its confreres. —Julie V. Iovine, WSJ, 12 Nov. 2018

And the Brazilian police quickly dismantled, through video evidence and the testimony of Lochte's three swimming confreres, the Olympic athlete's shifting fabrications. —Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, 22 Aug. 2016

The audience ate it up, and the Czech players had a ball partnering their American confreres, according to Sporcl. —John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 17 May 2017

Some of her confreres were intent on exposing the complex roles of photography in everyday life, especially in advertising and movies. —Roberta Smith, New York Times, 11 May 2017

According to this analysis, Murray and his confreres can qualify as charlatans at best, racists at worst, and likely something in between. —John McWhorter, National Review, 5 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, translation of Medieval Latin confrater

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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