brothers
Sons sharing parents
Brothers are males who share at least one parent.
The term extends to men bound by close friendship, shared experience, or common cause: brothers in arms, fraternity brothers.
In religious contexts, brothers are male members of a monastic order or fellow congregants.
African American usage of brother as a term of solidarity among Black men gives the plural special cultural weight: The brothers were looking out for each other.
Mother and father
- sonsMale offspring collectively
- unclesParents' male siblings
- nephewsSiblings' sons
- cousinsRelatives through shared grandparents
grandparents · relatives · kinfolk · clan · lineage · bloodline · heritage · ancestry
Mendicant religious order members
- monksCloistered religious men
- monasteryReligious seclusion dwelling
- abbeyMonastic house of worship
- orderMethodical arrangement or request
habit · vows · clergy · prior · novice · benedictine · friar · mendicant
Female kin or nuns
- twinsSiblings born simultaneously
- tripletsThree born together
- birth orderSequence among siblings
- firstbornFirst child born
youngest · middle child · stepbrothers · adopted · only child · sibling rivalry · playmates · roommates
Faithful commitment to another
- trustConfidence in another
- camaraderieGoodwill among companions
- solidarityUnity among allies
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
closeness · protectiveness · understanding · companionship · affection · inseparable · thick as thieves · keeper
Struggle for supremacy
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- conflictOpposition between parties
- Cain and AbelAdam's sons, first brothers
- favoritismPreferential treatment of some
resentment · fighting · comparison · estrangement · reconciliation · inheritance dispute · prodigal son · feud
Cooperative partners united together
- battalionMid-sized military unit
- regimentColonel-led military unit
- platoonSmall infantry formation
- veteransFormer armed forces members
foxhole · battlefield · wartime · combat · loyalty · sacrifice · fallen · memorial
Support spurring continued effort
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
- defenderOne who guards another
- protectorOne who safeguards others
- advocatePublic cause supporter
confidant · helper · guidance · ride or die · wingman · ally · champion
Women's collegiate social organization
- pledgingMaking a solemn promise
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- rushQuick sudden movement
- hazingAbusive initiation practices
frat house · chapter · alumni · legacy · mixer · kegger · philanthropy · letters
parents
Mother and father
cousins · grandparents · relatives · kinfolk · clan · lineage · bloodline · heritage · ancestry · genealogy
friars
Mendicant religious order members
order · habit · vows · clergy · prior · novice · benedictine · friar · mendicant · cloister
sisters
Female kin or nuns
- twinsSiblings born simultaneously
- tripletsThree born together
- birth orderSequence among siblings
firstborn · youngest · middle child · stepbrothers · adopted · only child · sibling rivalry · playmates · roommates · hand-me-downs
loyalty
Faithful commitment to another
- trustConfidence in another
- camaraderieGoodwill among companions
- solidarityUnity among allies
devotion · closeness · protectiveness · understanding · companionship · affection · inseparable · thick as thieves · keeper · blood is thicker
competition
Struggle for supremacy
- jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
- conflictOpposition between parties
- Cain and AbelAdam's sons, first brothers
favoritism · resentment · fighting · comparison · estrangement · reconciliation · inheritance dispute · prodigal son · feud · tension
allies
Cooperative partners united together
veterans · foxhole · battlefield · wartime · combat · loyalty · sacrifice · fallen · memorial
encouragement
Support spurring continued effort
advocate · confidant · helper · guidance · ride or die · wingman · ally · champion
sorority
Women's collegiate social organization
- pledgingMaking a solemn promise
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- rushQuick sudden movement
hazing · frat house · chapter · alumni · legacy · mixer · kegger · philanthropy · letters · bid
- family termsparents, nuclear family, mothers, extended family, fathers
- kinshipmother, father, sister, children, parent
- family dramafamily bonds, sibling rivalry, family reunion, kinship, family secret
- malesmen, boys, guys, lads, dudes
- men portraitsheadshots, studio portraits, close-ups, profile shots, posed portraits
- siblingssister, twins, siblings, sisters, sib
brothersenemies
Hostile opposing parties
foes · adversaries · rivals · opponents · antagonists
brothersstrangers
People unknown to you
outsiders · foreigners · aliens · others
- older brotherMale sibling born earlier
- little brotherYounger male sibling
- younger brotherMale sibling born later
- baby brotherYoung male sibling
- big brotherOlder male sibling
- twin brotherMale born simultaneously
brother, brotherly, brotherhood, big brother, band of brothers, stepbrother, brother's, half-brother, brothering