What does camaraderie mean?
Camaraderie is an uncountable noun describing the spirit of mutual trust, loyalty, and easy friendship that develops among people who spend considerable time together — teammates, soldiers, coworkers, or fellow students. Unlike ordinary acquaintance, camaraderie implies a shared bond built through common effort or experience, often seasoned with humour and mutual support. The word is always used positively and cannot be applied to strained or hostile relationships. It appears most often in contexts involving teamwork, military service, sport, and collaborative work, typically phrased as 'a sense of camaraderie' or 'a spirit of camaraderie'. Borrowed from French in the nineteenth century, it derives from the same root as 'comrade'. Writers value it because it names something real yet hard to pin down: the warmth that turns a group of individuals into a cohesive unit. Its tone is friendly without being sentimental, making it equally at home in journalism and everyday conversation.
nounA spirit of mutual trust, goodwill, and friendship among members of a group who spend a lot of time together, such as soldiers or teammates.
- A feeling of trust and friendship among people who work or spend time together as a group.
"The long hours they spent training together created a genuine sense of camaraderie among the crew."
"Years of shared hardship forged a deep camaraderie between the two veterans."
"What she missed most after leaving the team was the easy camaraderie of the locker room."
Camaraderie comes from the same French word that gave us 'comrade' — and ultimately from Latin 'camera', meaning a room you share with others.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of camaraderie
Camaraderie was borrowed into English from French in the mid-nineteenth century, derived from 'camarade', meaning comrade or companion. That French word traces back through Spanish 'camarada' to Late Latin 'camera', meaning a room or vaulted chamber — originally the shared space where companions slept or gathered. The root also yields the English words 'camera' and 'chamber', making them distant relatives of camaraderie despite their very different modern meanings.
Usage notes
Camaraderie is uncountable and always positive in connotation. It carries a slightly warm, informal register but is acceptable in formal writing. It should not be confused with 'comradery', a rare variant spelling.
Don't confuse with
Comradery is a less common variant spelling of the same word; camaraderie is the standard form in both British and American English.