kinsman

American  

[kinz-muhn] / ˈkɪnz mən /

noun

• kinsmen
  plural

1. a blood relative, especially a male.

2. a relative by marriage.

3. a person of the same nationality or ethnic group.

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kinsman British  

/ ˈkɪnzmən /

noun

1. a blood relation or a relation by marriage

2. a member of the same race, tribe, or ethnic stock

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• kinswoman
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kinsmen
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of kinsman

First recorded in 1100–50, kinsman is from late Old English cinnes man. See kin, 's ¹, man

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Explanation

Your kinsman is your family member — someone who's related to you. Even if you don't know your second cousin very well, he's still your kinsman. The noun kinsman can refer to any blood relation or ancestor, especially those who are male. You can also use kinswoman to talk about female relatives. The word is a formal one that you might come across in an anthropology textbook or a family history: "The first kinsman to leave England came on the Mayflower." Kinsman comes in part from kin, with its Old English root cynn, or "family."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kinsman kinsmen

Yet the formidable English army of kinsman Malcolm, rightful heir to murdered King Duncan, approached Dunsinane using branches from Birnam Wood as camouflage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

De la Espriella’s ideological kinsman, Argentine President Javier Milei, is pushing for more oil output, focusing on his country’s massive Vaca Muerta shale deposit.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

But you here, whom nature made the wisest of all people, should drop your anger and make everyone who fights alongside us at sea a kinsman, a citizen.

From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2025

When Mr. Anderson entered the chapel, which was used as a courtroom to hold all 63 defendants, he shook his head and tried to imagine how his kinsman must have felt in that moment.

From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 2022

“We saw a lorry driver who agreed to carry us,” the man said, and Ugwu could tell right away that he was Master’s kinsman; his Abba dialect was heavy, each f sounding like a v.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

They then decided to make distinctive marks on their cheeks, "akin to the ones their animals had, which would help them in identifying their kinsmen during battles", Mr Makkuwana says.

From BBC ● May 20, 2022

The many characters in “The Books of Jacob” allow for describing Jacob Frank through the words of others, both his enemies and kinsmen.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2022

You could see inequality emerge in the archaeological record with the appearance of temples and palaces, presided over by rulers and their elite kinsmen, and storehouses and workshops, run by administrators and overseers.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

Conte announced that starting May 4, people in Italy will be permitted to travel within their home regions for visits with “congiunti,” a formal Italian word that can mean either relatives, relations or kinsmen.

From Washington Times ● May 1, 2020

Father pointed to a box of apples that had been sent down from the north from some of our kinsmen.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

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