Meaning & use
fellowship
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Meanings
noununcountable
A warm, friendly feeling shared by people who spend time together because of a common interest, belief or activity.
Grammar: Usually no plural and no article: we enjoyed good fellowship.
Patterns
- fellowship with someone
- a spirit of fellowship
The choir meets weekly for singing and fellowship.
Hikers on the long trail soon developed a strong sense of fellowship.
He joined the club mostly for the fellowship rather than the chess.
nouncountable
A group of people who share an interest or belief and meet regularly, often connected to a church.
Grammar: Can take an or the and a plural: a youth fellowship, two local fellowships.
Patterns
- join a fellowship
- a fellowship of something
She belongs to a small fellowship of local poets.
The church runs a fellowship for young parents.
Tolkien's story follows a fellowship of nine travelers.
nouncountable
A sum of money or a paid post given to a graduate or researcher so they can continue studying or working on a project.
Grammar: Often followed by in or at: a fellowship in physics at Cambridge.
Patterns
- win a fellowship
- a fellowship in something
- a fellowship at somewhere
She won a two-year fellowship to study volcanoes in Iceland.
The foundation awards ten fellowships to young journalists each year.
His fellowship covered tuition and a modest living allowance.
Word forms
| plural | fellowships |
|---|
Common combinations
- spirit of fellowship
- The festival was held in a spirit of fellowship and shared food.
- enjoy fellowship
- After the service, members enjoy fellowship over tea.
- win a fellowship
- He won a fellowship to complete his doctoral research abroad.
- postdoctoral fellowship
- She is finishing a postdoctoral fellowship in genetics.
- research fellowship
- A research fellowship gave him a year to write the book.
- fellowship program
- The fellowship program places graduates in city government.
Synonyms and how they differ
- companionship
- Stresses the pleasure of having someone beside you, often one to one, while fellowship suggests a group with a shared purpose.
- camaraderie
- Describes the easy, joking trust between friends or teammates, and sounds less formal or religious than fellowship.
- scholarship
- Usually supports an undergraduate's studies, whereas a fellowship generally goes to graduates or established researchers.
- association
- Is a neutral word for any organized group, and does not carry the warmth that fellowship does.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fellowship or scholarship? fellowship or friendship?
fellowship vs scholarship
A scholarship usually pays for a student's course fees, while a fellowship funds advanced research or professional training.
fellowship vs friendship
Friendship is a personal bond between individuals, whereas fellowship is shared by a whole group.
Practice
After graduating, Mei received a ____ that paid her to spend a year researching coral reefs.
Choose one answer.
A fellowship is a funded research post. Membership would only mean belonging to a group, and friendship and relationship are personal bonds, not paid awards.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fellowship”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.