Meanings
plural confreres · alternative confrère
- A colleague or fellow, especially a professional one.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the informant who turns state’s evidence against a confrere, the OED slaps on the obscure origin label.
2008 February 18, Michael Sheehan, Wordmall - A fellow member of a religious organization, referring especially to Catholic religious orders of men.
Roger Bacon had little reverence for their Franciscan confrere, Alexander of Hales...
2012, Timothy J. Johnson, Franciscans and Preaching: Every Miracle from the Beginning of the World Came about Through Words, page 821 more example
... but there was a limited number of magisterial chairs, and so, after a couple of years, the Dominican and Franciscan Masters had to stand aside for the next confrere in line.
2015, John Marenbon, Medieval Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, page 58
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchconfrère
- Latinconfrāter
- Old Frenchconfrere
- Englishconfrere
From Old French confrere, from Latin confrāter. The word which was originally only used for the second sense became obsolete in the 17th century and reappeared in the mid 18th century as a re-borrowing of Modern French confrère whence the first sense is from.
More words from Old French, Latin, French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
confrere. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confrere
“confrere.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confrere. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “confrere,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confrere.
Source: confrere on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.