Fraternity

noun (uncountable; also countable in the sense of a brotherhood organisation)

/frəˈtɜːnɪti/

Brotherhood; a sense of solidarity, common bond, and mutual regard among the members of a community. In the Indian Constitution, fraternity is enshrined in the Preamble as one of four objectives — alongside justice, liberty, and equality — and is defined as 'assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation'. Dr. Ambedkar regarded fraternity as the most important of the three ideals (liberty, equality, fraternity), arguing without it they were mere coatings.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Ambedkar warned the Constituent Assembly that without fraternity, liberty and equality would remain illusory ideals, for it is the feeling of mutual recognition and solidarity that alone gives constitutional guarantees their lived reality.

Synonyms

brotherhoodsolidaritycamaraderiefellowshipkinshipcommunion

Antonyms

antagonismenmitydivisivenesssectarianismdiscord

🌱 Word Family

fraternal (adjective), fraternise (verb), friar (cognate noun), brother (cognate), fraternisation (noun)

🔡 Root

Latin fraternitas ← frater (brother) ← Proto-Indo-European bhrāter- (brother)

📜 Etymology

From Latin fraternitas (brotherhood), derived from frater (brother). The PIE root bhrāter- is shared across Indo-European languages (Sanskrit bhrātr, English brother, Greek phrātēr). The political sense of civic brotherhood was popularised by the French Revolutionary triad Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (1789).

🧠 Memory Hook

FRATERNITY = FRATER (brother) + -ITY. Think of a fraternity house in college: brothers living together in solidarity. The Constitution wants all Indians to live as fraternal brothers and sisters.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution

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