kinship
Americannoun
-
the state or fact of being of kin; family relationship.
- Synonyms:
- connection
-
relationship by nature, qualities, etc.; affinity.
- Synonyms:
- bearing, connection
noun
-
blood relationship
-
the state of having common characteristics or a common origin
Synonym Usage
See relationship.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of kinship
Explanation
Kinship is a family relationship. You might describe the wonderful, close kinship you have with your favorite cousin. Your kin is your family, so it's easy to see that kinship describes family bonds, like the kinship between members of the same Scottish clan or the kinship an uncle feels in the midst of a dozen crazy nieces and nephews. Kinship can also describe a close family-like relationship, like the kinship of the teachers at your school who have worked together for many years and who all care deeply about students and learning.
Vocabulary lists containing kinship
It's All in the Family
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Human Geography - Middle School
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Whether or not Church had deeply studied Ruskin, an aesthetic kinship is noticeable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
They are also using kinship DNA provided by his family to search international databases for potential matches.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
“But we immediately hit it off and I felt a kinship with him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
That kinship is what makes Coppola’s first documentary, “Marc by Sofia,” such a thrill — and also what occasionally holds the film back.
From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026
The manatee raised its fat snout out of the water to breathe and sniff at her, and Natalie felt a sudden kinship with it.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Because the operations at most milk banks make it difficult for kinships to be traced, most religious scholars think that the banks "should be treated like breastfeeding," Ghaly says.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2021
The new research also revealed instances of remarkable continuity, kinships that spanned thousands of years.
From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2018
There’s a strong resemblance to aspects of American Horror Story, which, like Pose, often unites feuding characters and invests heavily in the idea of queer kinships.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2018
Dobyns has forged deep friendships in the Native-American medicine communities over the years, says Amos, kinships she has been generous enough to share with Amos.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 7, 2017
It is not essential that one know the names of these wild bushes, although a knowledge of their botanical kinships will add greatly to the pleasure of growing them.
From Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) by Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
