Fellowship — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈfe-lə-ˌship/ fel·low·ship

Meaning & Definition of Fellowship

Fellowship (noun)

  1. companionship, company
  2. community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience
  3. the state of being a fellow or associate

Fellowship (verb)

  1. to join in fellowship especially with a church member
  2. to admit to fellowship (as in a church)

Fellowship (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a friendly relationship marked by ready communication and mutual understanding

    "the new counselor is eager to develop a trustful fellowship with the troubled teens seeking help at the center"

    similar: communion, rapport, rapprochement
    related: accord, agreement, concord, harmony, oneness, solidarity, togetherness, unity, affinity, empathy, sympathy, understanding, amity, chumminess, companionship, friendliness, friendship, reciprocity, symbiosis
    near: alienation, disaffection, disgruntlement, estrangement, coldness, cold shoulder, distance, iciness, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, bitterness, enmity, hostility, jaundice, rancor, spite

  2. a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest

    "a fellowship of physicians dedicated to administering medical aid without regard to politics"

    similar: association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fraternity, guild, institute, institution, league, order, organization, society, sodality
    related: collective, commune, community, cooperative, alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership, body, cadre, group, circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, junto, klatch, lot, set, crew, outfit, party, squad, team, branch, chapter, local, faithful, fold, membership, sisterhood, sorority, cabal, camarilla, camorra, confederacy, conspiracy, band, gang, ring, cartel, combine, syndicate

  3. kindly concern, interest, or support

    "this music festival would not have been a success without the fellowship of many people in the community"

    similar: amity, benevolence, brotherhood, charity, cordiality, cordialness, friendliness, friendship, gemütlichkeit, good-fellowship, goodwill, kindliness, neighborliness
    related: bonhomie, camaraderie, collegiality, community, companionship, company, comradeship, civility, comity, concord, harmony, rapport, rapprochement, generosity, affinity, communion, empathy, kindness, sympathy, tolerance, altruism, philanthropy, selflessness, unselfishness
    opposite: ill will, malevolence, venom
    near: disfavor, intolerance, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, hate, hatred, hostility, incivility, malice, rancor, belligerency, quarrelsomeness, querulousness

  4. the body of people in a profession or field of activity

    "members of a law firm who violated just about every ethical principle that the legal fellowship holds dear"

    similar: brotherhood, community, corps, fraternity, sodality, vocation
    related: calling, profession, association, club, federation, guild, organization, society

  5. the feeling of closeness and friendship that exists between companions

    "the fellowship that exists among members of a college fraternity"

    similar: brotherhood, camaraderie, community, companionship, company, comradery, comradeship, society
    related: amity, benevolence, cordiality, friendliness, friendship, goodwill, kindliness, civility, comity, concord, harmony, rapport, charity, generosity, affinity, compassion, empathy, sympathy, chumminess, familiarity, inseparability, intimacy, nearness, affection, devotion, fondness, love
    near: forlornness, loneliness, lonesomeness

Fellowship (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in take, receive

    similar: admit, enter, receive, take, entertain, welcome, confirm, ratify
    opposite: ban, bar, decline, disallow, disapprove, dismiss, refuse, reject, blackball, blacklist, ostracize, banish, deport, exile, expel, oust, throw out

Related Entry: Good-fellowship (noun)

Good-fellowship is a different word from Fellowship. The synonyms below are for good-fellowship, not for fellowship.

  1. kindly concern, interest, or support

    "in the spirit of good-fellowship, the opposing softball players asked us to join them for drinks after the game"

    similar: amity, benevolence, brotherhood, charity, cordiality, cordialness, fellowship, friendliness, friendship, gemütlichkeit, goodwill, kindliness, neighborliness
    related: bonhomie, camaraderie, collegiality, community, companionship, company, comradeship, civility, comity, concord, harmony, rapport, rapprochement, generosity, affinity, communion, empathy, kindness, sympathy, tolerance, altruism, philanthropy, selflessness, unselfishness
    opposite: ill will, malevolence, venom
    near: disfavor, intolerance, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, hate, hatred, hostility, incivility, malice, rancor, belligerency, quarrelsomeness, querulousness

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Fellowship

The most common words with a similar meaning to Fellowship:

communion, rapport, rapprochement, association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fraternity, guild, institute, institution, league, order, organization, society, sodality, amity, benevolence, charity, cordiality, cordialness, friendliness, friendship, gemütlichkeit, good-fellowship, goodwill, kindliness, neighborliness, community, corps, vocation, camaraderie, companionship, company, comradery

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Fellowship

Words with the opposite meaning of Fellowship:

ill will, malevolence, venom, ban, bar, decline, disallow, disapprove, dismiss, refuse, reject, blackball, blacklist, ostracize, banish, deport, exile, expel, oust, throw out

Related Words for Fellowship

accord, agreement, concord, harmony, oneness, solidarity, togetherness, unity, affinity, empathy, sympathy, understanding, chumminess, reciprocity, symbiosis, collective, commune, cooperative, alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership, body, cadre, group, circle, clan, clique, coterie

Near Antonyms of Fellowship

alienation, disaffection, disgruntlement, estrangement, coldness, cold shoulder, distance, iciness, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, bitterness, enmity, hostility, jaundice, rancor, spite, disfavor, intolerance, hate, hatred, incivility, malice, belligerency, quarrelsomeness, querulousness, forlornness, loneliness, lonesomeness

Word Forms of Fellowship

Inflections: fellowshipped, fellowshiped, fellowshipping, fellowshiping

Origin & Etymology of Fellowship

Middle English felaweschipe, going back to Old English fēolagscipe, from fēolaga fellow + -scipe -ship

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Fellowship

traveling fellowship

Frequently Asked Questions about Fellowship

What does "Fellowship" mean?

"Fellowship" means companionship, company. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: companionship, company. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Fellowship"?

Other words for "Fellowship" include communion, rapport, rapprochement, association, board, brotherhood, chamber and club. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Fellowship" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Fellowship"?

There are 131 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Fellowship". Common alternatives include communion, rapport, rapprochement, association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college and congress.

What is the opposite of "Fellowship"?

Antonyms of "Fellowship" include ill will, malevolence, venom, ban, bar, decline, disallow and disapprove. Near antonyms include alienation, disaffection, disgruntlement and estrangement.

How do you use "Fellowship" in a sentence?

Examples of "Fellowship" in a sentence: "the new counselor is eager to develop a trustful fellowship with the troubled teens seeking help at the center"; "a fellowship of physicians dedicated to administering medical aid without regard to politics"; "this music festival would not have been a success without the fellowship of many people in the community".

Is "Fellowship" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Fellowship" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Fellowship"?

"Fellowship" is pronounced /ˈfe-lə-ˌship/ and divided into syllables as fel·low·ship.

What is the origin of the word "Fellowship"?

"Fellowship" comes from Middle English felaweschipe, going back to Old English fēolagscipe, from fēolaga fellow + -scipe -ship. First known use: before 12th century.