Brotherly

//ˈbɹʌð.ɚ.li// adj, adv

adj, adv ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or characteristic of brothers.

    "brotherly love"

Adjective
  1. 1
    like or characteristic of or befitting a brother wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    In the manner of a brother, as a brother, as brothers.

    ""What honest man, who is not insane, would take lost women and thieves into his house to dwell with him sisterly and brotherly?""

Adverb
  1. 1
    (archaic as adverb) in a manner characteristic of a brother wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
fraternalaffectionateagreeableamiableamicablebenign

Example

More examples

"Philadelphia's nickname, "the City of Brotherly Love," is simply a translation from the Greek roots of the city's name."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English brotherly, from Old English brōþorlīċ, from Proto-Germanic *brōþurlīkaz, equivalent to brother + -ly (adjectival suffix). Cognate with Dutch broederlijk (“brotherly”), German brüderlich (“brotherly”), Swedish broderlig (“brotherly”). Piecewise doublet of friarly.

Etymology 2

From Middle English brotherly, equivalent to brother + -ly (adverbial suffix).

Related phrases

brotherly love

More for "brotherly"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.