akin
Americanadjective
-
of kin; related by blood (usually used predicatively).
cousins who were too closely akin for marriage.
-
allied by nature; having the same properties.
Something akin to vertigo was troubling her.
- Synonyms:
- parallel, comparable, analogous, similar, cognate
-
having or showing an affinity; kindred.
They are emotionally but not intellectually akin.
adjective
-
related by blood; of the same kin
-
(often foll by to) having similar characteristics, properties, etc
Etymology
Origin of akin
Explanation
If two things are akin, then they're similar or related. A cupcake is akin to a cake and relatives are akin to each other. If you know the word kin — a relative — then you have a clue to the meaning of akin. People who are related are akin, but the word goes beyond blood relations. Football is akin to the sport of rugby; baseball is akin to the British sport cricket. Mice are akin to rats, and rats are akin to gerbils, hamsters, and squirrels. Things that are akin are alike.
Vocabulary lists containing akin
The Kite Runner
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Dracula
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"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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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.
I’ve argued that this is more akin to ghostwriting, since the student isn’t copying from an original source.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
A CFP serves a role more akin, in musical terms, to a conductor.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
"You can decompose a thought into subcomponents, like little atoms of logical propositions, and you can combine them in a hierarchical manner to make more complex structured rules, very akin to language."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Judge Bryan Biedscheid said the social media giant is a "public nuisance" akin to air pollution and that it must put the money in a fund aimed at reducing future harms.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
If I may put it this way, sir, it is a little akin to the custom as regards marriages.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
