Meaning & use
sibling
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableformal
A brother or sister; a person who has at least one parent in common with another.
Grammar: Countable: siblings for brothers and sisters together. Use it when gender is unknown or irrelevant.
Patterns
- younger sibling
- older sibling
- have three siblings
The form asks whether you have any siblings.
My younger sibling starts college this year.
She grew up with four siblings in a noisy house.
Word forms
| plural | siblings |
|---|
Common combinations
- older/younger sibling
- His younger sibling still lives at home.
- sibling rivalry
- Sibling rivalry can be intense even in adulthood.
- close siblings
- The close siblings speak on the phone every day.
- only child with no siblings
- As an only child, she had no siblings to argue with.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brother
- Names a male sibling specifically; sibling stays neutral about gender.
- sister
- Names a female sibling specifically and is more personal.
- sib
- Short technical or rare form, not common in ordinary conversation.
- relative
- Much broader; includes parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles.
Opposites
Word family
- sibling rivalry noun
- Competition or jealousy between brothers and sisters.
Commonly confused: sibling or cousin? sibling or step-sibling?
sibling vs cousin
A cousin shares grandparents but not parents; a sibling shares at least one parent.
sibling vs step-sibling
A step-sibling is related by a parent's marriage, not necessarily by blood.
Practice
Which sentence is most natural and neutral?
Choose one answer.
Sibling is neutral and plural siblings is the natural way to ask about brothers and/or sisters. 'Brothersisters' is not standard, singular needs a/an, and the last question is awkward.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sibling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.