Fellow vs Boyfriend - What's the difference?

fellow | boyfriend |

As nouns the difference between fellow and boyfriend

is that fellow is (lb) a colleague or partner while boyfriend is a male partner in a romantic relationship.

As an adjective fellow

is having common characteristics; being of the same kind, or in the same group.

As a verb fellow

is to suit with; to pair with; to match.

fellow

English

Noun

(en noun)

(lb) A colleague or partner.

(lb) A companion; a comrade.

*(John Milton) (1608-1674)

*:the fellows of his crime

*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)

*:We are fellows still, / Serving alike in sorrow.

*(Edward Gibbon) (1737-1794)

*:That enormous engine was flanked by two fellows almost of equal magnitude.

*:Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows , yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.

A man without good breeding or worth; an ignoble or mean man.

*(Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)

*:Worth makes the man, and want of it, the fellow .

An equal in power, rank, character, etc.

*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)

*:It is impossible that ever Rome / Should breed thy fellow .

One of a pair, or of two things used together or suited to each other; a mate.

*(Philemon Holland) (1552-1637)

*:When they be but heifers of one year,they are let go to the fellow and breed.

*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)

*:This was my glove; here is the fellow of it.

(lb) A male person; a man.

*1910 , (Saki), ‘The Strategist’, Reginald in Russia :

*:‘There'll be about ten girls,’ speculated Rollo, as he drove to the function, ‘and I suppose four fellows , unless the Wrotsleys bring their cousin, which Heaven forbid.’

*, chapter=7

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=“A very welcome, kind, useful present, that means to the parish. By the way, Hopkins, let this go no further. We don't want the tale running round that a rich person has arrived. Churchill, my dear fellow , we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing.

(lb) A person; an individual, male or female.

*(Charles Dickens) (1812-1870)

*:She seemed to be a good sort of fellow .

(lb) A rank or title in the professional world, usually given as "Fellow".

#In the English universities, a scholar who is appointed to a foundation called a fellowship, which gives a title to certain perquisites and privileges.

#In an American college or university, a member of the corporation which manages its business interests; also, a graduate appointed to a fellowship, who receives the income of the foundation.

#A member of a literary or scientific society; as, a Fellow of the Royal Society.

#The most senior rank or title one can achieve on a technical career in certain companies (though some Fellows also hold business titles such as Vice President or Chief Technology Officer). This is typically found in large corporations in research and development-intensive industries (IBM or Sun Microsystems in information technology, and Boston Scientific in Medical Devices for example). They appoint a small number of senior scientists and engineers as Fellows.

#In the US and Canada, a physician who is undergoing a supervised, sub-specialty medical training (fellowship) after completing a specialty training program (residency).

Usage notes

In North America, fellow is less likely to be used for a man in general in comparison to other words that have the same purpose. Nevertheless, it is still used by some. In addition, it has a good bit of use as an academic or medical title or membership.

Synonyms

* See also * See also

Derived terms

* bedfellow * fella * fellow feeling * fellowship * good fellow/goodfellow * hail-fellow-well-met * poor fellow * schoolfellow

Adjective

(-)

Having common characteristics; being of the same kind, or in the same group

Verb

(en verb)

To suit with; to pair with; to match.

Statistics

boyfriend

English

Alternative forms

* boy friend (dated)

Noun

(en noun)

A male partner in a romantic relationship.

* 2012 , (Justin Bieber), Boyfriend

If I was your boyfriend , I’d never let you go
I can take you places you ain’t never been before.

A male friend.

Synonyms

* (male friend) guyfriend (slang)

Usage notes

In contrast to its female equivalent, girlfriend, which is often used to describe a woman's close female friends, the term is not that often used in reference to non-romantic relationships. Boyfriend is a relatively modern term, and in the past has had implications of an illicit relationship (as sexual and romantic relationships outside marriage were generally frowned upon). It is now a generally accepted term and has no negative implications. Use of boyfriend generally implies that the male is a boy or a young man. An older man in a non-marital relationship and sometimes even a young man in a long-term relationship is more often described as a significant other or partner. Separating the word into its two components boy friend'' avoids the romantic implication nowadays, although ''boy friend'' used to mean the same as ''boyfriend does now. However, British and Australian men usually refer to a male friend as a mate. Similarly, Americans and Canadians use the term buddy.