as in patricide
the crime of purposefully ending the life of your own brother or sister
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Recent Examples of fratricide
The Type-1a supernovae don’t come from solitary stars sitting around waiting to die, but from a case of pure stellar fratricide.
—
Popular Mechanics, 18 Apr. 2023
Rumors of Njinga committing fratricide or engaging in cannibalism are treated with similar caution.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2023
Each episode of Peacock’s mystery series depicts such horrors as fratricide and fraud in classic American locales: a Nevada casino, a Texas smokehouse, a Colorado ski lodge.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2023
Viewers already watched Taffy pull off the near-perfect fratricide and, as Poker Face‘s structure tends to do, the episode travels back in time to see how Charlie spots the lies and solves the crime.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fratricide
Popular Mechanics, 18 Apr. 2023
Rumors of Njinga committing fratricide or engaging in cannibalism are treated with similar caution.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2023
Each episode of Peacock’s mystery series depicts such horrors as fratricide and fraud in classic American locales: a Nevada casino, a Texas smokehouse, a Colorado ski lodge.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2023
Viewers already watched Taffy pull off the near-perfect fratricide and, as Poker Face‘s structure tends to do, the episode travels back in time to see how Charlie spots the lies and solves the crime.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fratricide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fratricide
Noun
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But Dwight picks the fight by almost immediately accusing Chickie of patricide, which happens to be true but won’t win you any brownie points, for sure.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
17 Nov. 2024
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The movie includes intense domestic abuse (verbal, physical and emotional), gun violence, death and descriptions of patricide.—
Common Sense Media,
Washington Post,
19 July 2024
Noun
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Macron’s ascent to the presidency began, like a certain Greek tragedy, with parricide.—
Arthur Goldhammer,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Dec. 2018
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Pancakes and parricide, anyone?—
Joanna O'Leary,
Chron,
24 Jan. 2021
Noun
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Several generate physical action that, besides wickedness, is driven by rage — fights, accidents, assaults, pederasty, filicide, matricide.—
Stuart Dybek,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2025
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One thing that struck most reporters was her apparent lack of remorse or grief over this rare crime — matricide, the murder of a mother by her biological child.—
Mara Bovsun,
New York Daily News,
28 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The raw power grab that excites Lady Macbeth and incites her husband to regicide feels especially pertinent now, when the dangers of autocracy loom over political discussions.—
Peter Marks,
Washington Post,
28 Mar. 2024
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Those Tories by the way have a particular penchant for political regicide before voters get the chance.—
Stephen Collinson,
CNN,
19 Jan. 2023
Noun
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Abby’s friends disarm Ellie, and then Abby murders Joel in front of Ellie’s eyes.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
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Jones is charged with murder, abduction and felonious assault, WTVG reported.—
Staff Author,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Several generate physical action that, besides wickedness, is driven by rage — fights, accidents, assaults, pederasty, filicide, matricide.—
Stuart Dybek,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2025
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One study of maternal filicide observed that, whereas psychotic mothers often acted suddenly, depressed mothers tended to contemplate killing their children for days or weeks before acting.—
Eren Orbey,
The New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Sheriff’s office homicide detectives have taken over the investigation from Florida City police, Rodriguez said.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2025
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This investigation is ongoing; any information regarding the shooting may be shared with Little Rock police homicide detectives at (501) 371-4660.—
Jesse Cain,
Arkansas Online,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fratricide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fratricide. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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