Comrade: Someone Who Shares Your Room, and Your Cause
A comrade is a companion, especially one sharing hardship or a political cause. The word comes from the Spanish for a room-mate.
A comrade is a fellow soldier, worker or believer — someone bound to you by shared circumstance rather than affection. The origin is domestic and unheroic: Spanish *camarada* meant those who share a room, from *camara*, a chamber.
- A companion in hardship. *He lost three comrades that winter.*
- A fellow member of a socialist movement. *Comrade Chairman.*
- A close associate. *Old comrades from the union.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | comrade | A trusted comrade. |
| Plural | comrades | His old comrades. |
| Noun | comradeship | A strong comradeship. |
| Related | camaraderie | The camaraderie of the crew. |
| Related | compatriot | A fellow compatriot. |
How it is used in a sentence
- They fought as comrades for four years.The military sense, and the oldest in English.
- Comrade was the standard form of address in the Soviet Union.Replacing titles that implied rank.
- There was real camaraderie in the workshop.The feeling rather than the person.
Comrade, colleague, companion and mate
- Comrade — bound by shared struggle or cause
- Colleague — shares your work
- Companion — shares your journey or time
- Mate — informal friend, especially in British and Australian English
- Ally — shares your interest, but not necessarily your company
From French *camarade*, from Spanish *camarada*, from Latin *camera*, a chamber. It entered English in the sixteenth century as a military word; the political use spread after the Russian Revolution and now colours the word for many readers.
Is comrade only political?
No, but the association is strong enough that people often avoid it. In war writing and in old union speech it simply means a fellow.
Comradeship or camaraderie?
Camaraderie describes the warm feeling in a group. Comradeship suggests loyalty forged through shared difficulty.