kind
1 Americanadjective
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kinder,
comparative
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kindest
superlative
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of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person.
a kind and loving person.
- Antonyms:
- cruel
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having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence.
kind words.
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indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often followed byto ).
to be kind to animals.
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kind weather.
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British Dialect. loving; affectionate.
noun
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kinds
plural
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a class or group of individual objects, people, animals, etc., of the same nature or character, or classified together because they have traits in common; category.
Our dog is the same kind as theirs.
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nature or character as determining likeness or difference between things.
These differ in degree rather than in kind.
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a person or thing as being of a particular character or class.
He is a strange kind of hero.
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a more or less adequate example of something; sort.
The vines formed a kind of roof.
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Archaic.
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the nature, or natural disposition or character.
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manner; form.
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Obsolete. gender; sex.
idioms
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in kind,
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in something of the same kind or in the same way as that received or borne.
They will be repaid in kind for their rudeness.
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in goods, commodities, or services rather than money.
In colonial times, payment was often made in kind.
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kind of, to some extent; somewhat; rather.
The room was kind of dark.
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of a kind, of the same class, nature, character, etc..
They are two of a kind.
noun
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a class or group having characteristics in common; sort; type
two of a kind
what kind of creature?
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an instance or example of a class or group, esp a rudimentary one
heating of a kind
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essential nature or character
the difference is one of kind rather than degree
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archaic gender or sex
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archaic nature; the natural order
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(of payment) in goods or produce rather than in money
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with something of the same sort
to return an insult in kind
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informal
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(adverb) somewhat; rather
kind of tired
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(sentence substitute) used to express reservation or qualified assent
I figured it out. Kind of
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adjective
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having a friendly or generous nature or attitude
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helpful to others or to another
a kind deed
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considerate or humane
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cordial; courteous (esp in the phrase kind regards )
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pleasant; agreeable; mild
a kind climate
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informal beneficial or not harmful
a detergent that is kind to the hands
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archaic loving
Usage
The phrase these (or those ) kind of, followed by a plural noun ( these kind of flowers; those kind of shoes ) is frequently condemned as ungrammatical because it is said to combine a plural demonstrative ( these; those ) with a singular noun, kind. Historically, kind is an unchanged or unmarked plural noun like deer, folk, sheep, and swine, and the construction these kind of is an old one, occurring in the writings of Shakespeare, Swift, Jane Austen, and, in modern times, Jimmy Carter and Winston Churchill. Kind has also developed the plural kinds, evidently because of the feeling that the old pattern was incorrect. These kind of nevertheless persists in use, especially in less formal speech and writing. In edited, more formal prose, this kind of and these kinds of are more common. Sort of has been influenced by the use of kind as an unchanged plural: these sort of books. This construction too is often considered incorrect and appears mainly in less formal speech and writing. Kind (or sort ) of as an adverbial modifier meaning “somewhat” occurs in informal speech and writing: Sales have been kind (or sort ) of slow these last few weeks.
The mixture of plural and singular constructions, although often used informally with kind and sort , should be avoided in serious writing: children enjoy those kinds (not those kind ) of stories; these sorts (not these sort ) of distinctions are becoming blurred
Synonym Usage
Kind, gracious, kindhearted, kindly imply a sympathetic attitude toward others, and a willingness to do good or give pleasure. Kind implies a deep-seated characteristic shown either habitually or on occasion by considerate behavior: a kind father. Gracious often refers to kindness from a superior or older person to a subordinate, an inferior, a child, etc.: a gracious monarch. Kindhearted implies an emotionally sympathetic nature, sometimes easily imposed upon: a kindhearted old woman. Kindly, a mild word, refers usually to general disposition, appearance, manner, etc.: a kindly face.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of kind1
First recorded before 900; Middle English kind(e) “natural, well-disposed,” Old English gecynde “natural;” see origin at genial 1, kind 2
Origin of kind2
First recorded before 900; Middle English kinde, Old English gecynd “nature, race, origin”; cognate with Old Norse kyndi, Old High German kikunt, Latin gēns (genitive gentis ); see kin
Explanation
A helpful and considerate nature can be described as kind. It is kind of someone to volunteer to rake their elderly neighbor's leaves in the fall. As a noun, kind refers to the variety or specific type of something. The adjective kind also describes showing sympathy or giving comfort. If someone's feelings are hurt, a kind word can go a long way to making that person feel better. When kind means "type," you might talk about a kind of cake — chocolate or vanilla — or a kind of person who likes to live alone. If you are kind of interested in something, you are only partially interested in it.
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:
I love that you take that route with kind of an unlikely character.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
"My first reaction was, 'Is this some kind of joke?' But then my body reacted as if I was under stress. My heart started racing, and my stomach tightened up."
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
In the past, this kind of tap dance has worked.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
"We are kind of like Faber, we wouldn't feel comfortable selling a book where the author isn't getting the royalties," Kerr said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
I passed names too, to the right and left, as we worked out a kind of system.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"Nowadays it's very typical that all kinds of vulnerabilities are being exploited ever more actively and rapidly."
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
“You’ve seen market participants that are discriminating between the kinds of investments they want to make,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
When you talk about these kinds of topics right away, you’ve pretty much opened the door to talk about anything.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
These are galaxies experiencing exceptionally intense periods of star formation, making them useful modern examples of the kinds of galaxies believed to have contributed to reionization.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
She wouldn’t be in her playhouse five minutes until all kinds of wild birds would come winging in from the mountains.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
The "Country Roads" appeal lies in the way it conveys "a kinder, simpler era with less conflict and division," said Doug Hartmann, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
So far, insiders say his promised “regime change” has been kinder and gentler than feared—more courtship than chain saw.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
A breakthrough drug for ovarian cancer that is kinder on the body and extends lives is now available on the NHS.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
The Actor Awards have been kinder: Bateman won three lead actor statuettes for “Ozark.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
“He turns from the light, groping instead for the darkness which is kinder to him. Already he is beginning to be aware of his difference, baby though he is.”
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
On Tuesday, it emerged she wrote a letter in 2016 to the New York judge in the Pham case describing him as "one of the kindest, honest, most sincere" people she had known.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
She added: "I think it's the kindest initiative ever and we are so very grateful to have something so meaningful gifted to us."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Milo Manheim, who played Zed, shared a series of photos with the caption: "Love you Carlaboo, the sweetest, kindest, most loving person."
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
That’s just about the kindest thing the congressman has had to say about his would-be successor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The kindest explanation of this behavior would have been that Mrs. Weasley wanted to distract them all from thoughts of Mad-Eye and the terrors of their recent journey.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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