sisterhood

/ˈsɪstəhʊd/ (bre, ipa) · [sˈɪstɚhʊd] /ˈsɪstərhʊd/ (ame, ipa) · [sˈɪstɚhʊd] /ˈsi-stər-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce sisterhood (audio)/ (ame, mw)

sisterhood — noun

  • sisterhoodsingular
  • sisterhoodsplural

1. the feeling of trust and mutual support that grows when women stand together for

1.名詞B2
釋義

the feeling of trust and mutual support that grows when women stand together for the same rights, needs, or aims.

例句

After the march, Ritu felt a deep sisterhood with the other organizers.

feel a deep sisterhood with other women

Years in the shelter created a strong sisterhood among the volunteers.

sisterhood among women in shared work

同義詞
  • solidarity

    broader and can describe any group; 'sisterhood' keeps the female-centered emotional bond.

  • fellowship

    warmer and less political; it does not specifically suggest women supporting women.

  • unity

    focuses on acting as one group, often with less personal warmth than 'sisterhood'.

反義詞
  • division

    suggests the group is split instead of standing together.

  • rivalry

    focuses on competition rather than support.

文法句型

uncountable noun

用法筆記

Usually uncountable. It emphasizes women backing one another because of shared experiences or goals, especially in social or political settings, not just ordinary friendship.

常見錯誤

❌The men's group showed strong sisterhood.
✅The men's group showed strong brotherhood.
💡'sisterhood' is used for women, not men.
❌Our team built a sisterhoods over the year.
✅Our team built sisterhood over the year.
💡this abstract sense is usually uncountable.

2. the family bond that exists between two or more sisters.

2.名詞B2
釋義

the family bond that exists between two or more sisters.

例句

Even after years apart, Nala and Eri rebuilt their sisterhood.

rebuild sisterhood between sisters

Caring for their mother together made their sisterhood stronger.

同義詞
  • bond

    more general; it can describe many kinds of close relationships, not specifically sisters.

  • kinship

    slightly more formal and focused on family connection.

  • closeness

    describes emotional nearness but does not show the family link by itself.

反義詞
  • estrangement

    suggests sisters are emotionally or socially cut off from each other.

文法句型

uncountable noun

用法筆記

Uncountable. Use this sense for actual sisters in a family; for support among unrelated women, use sense 1 instead.

常見錯誤

❌Their sisterhoods became stronger after college.
✅Their sisterhood became stronger after college.
💡this family-bond sense is usually uncountable.
❌The two cousins share a strong sisterhood.
✅The two sisters share a strong sisterhood.
💡this sense is for sisters, not female relatives in general.

3. an organized female community formed around the same religion, work, or purpose,

3.名詞C1
釋義

an organized female community formed around the same religion, work, or purpose, often with members living or working closely together.

例句

Felipe's aunt joined a sisterhood that ran schools in rural villages.

join a sisterhood

The temple sisterhood met every dawn to pray and cook together.

religious sisterhood as a community

同義詞
  • community

    broader and less formal; it does not by itself say the group is only women.

  • order

    best for a formal religious group, especially nuns.

  • association

    often more administrative and less intimate than 'sisterhood'.

反義詞
  • isolation

    suggests the absence of organized shared life.

文法句型

a/the + sisterhood

用法筆記

Countable. It often refers to a formal or organized community, especially a religious order or a group built around shared work or beliefs.

常見錯誤

❌She entered sisterhood at eighteen.
✅She entered a sisterhood at eighteen.
💡this group sense is countable when you mean an organization.
❌The sisterhood was her and her two sisters.
✅The sisterhood was a religious group she joined.
💡this sense names a women's community, not a family bond.

4. women who take part in campaigns and other action to win fairer treatment and mo

4.名詞C1
釋義

women who take part in campaigns and other action to win fairer treatment and more rights for women.

例句

The sisterhood gathered outside city hall to demand safer streets.

collective noun for women campaigners

Young reporters interviewed the sisterhood behind the new pay-gap campaign.

同義詞
  • activists

    more direct and neutral; it does not add the idea of a female-centered movement identity.

  • movement

    focuses more on the cause or campaign than on the women within it.

  • campaigners

    stresses public action, often with less emotional unity than 'sisterhood'.

反義詞
  • opposition

    refers to people resisting the movement's goals.

文法句型

the + sisterhood

用法筆記

This sense names the women themselves as a campaigning group. Unlike sense 1, it refers to the people in the movement, not the feeling between them.

常見錯誤

❌The sisterhood is a warm feeling between activists here.
✅The sisterhood here means the activists themselves.
💡this sense names the group, not the emotion.
❌One sisterhood spoke at the rally.
✅One activist from the sisterhood spoke at the rally.
💡the word names the whole group, not one individual woman.