brotherly
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.showing the kind of love, loyalty, or protection you expect from a brother.
adj.characteristic of or befitting a brother; exhibiting fraternal affection, loyalty, or protective care.
Simple“He gave his friend some brotherly advice about how to handle the problem.”
In context“Despite their professional rivalry, the two colleagues maintained a brotherly bond that had developed during their early years in the industry.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
adv.acting in a way that is kind and loyal, as a brother would.
adv.in a manner characteristic of brothers; acting with fraternal care or solidarity.
Simple“They stood together brotherly, supporting each other through the difficult time.”
In context“The soldiers shared their meager rations brotherly, ensuring that no one in the unit went entirely without food during the siege.”
UsageAs an adverb, this form is less common in modern speech than the adjective; 'in a brotherly way' is often preferred in casual contexts.
Synonymsfraternally
“In Manchester, they focus on a priest delivering a sermon about brotherly forgiveness.”
“Gao Zhen, part of a brotherly duo famous for satirical artworks, was convicted of slandering one of China’s heroes after a secret one-day trial.”
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.
From Middle English brotherly, equivalent to brother + -ly (adverbial suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.