kind
1 Americanadjective
-
kinder,
comparative
-
kindest
superlative
-
of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person.
a kind and loving person.
- Antonyms:
- cruel
-
having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence.
kind words.
-
indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often followed byto ).
to be kind to animals.
-
kind weather.
-
British Dialect. loving; affectionate.
noun
-
kinds
plural
-
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.
-
nature or character as determining likeness or difference between things.
These differ in degree rather than in kind.
-
a person or thing as being of a particular character or class.
He is a strange kind of hero.
-
a more or less adequate example of something; sort.
The vines formed a kind of roof.
-
Archaic.
-
the nature, or natural disposition or character.
-
manner; form.
-
-
Obsolete. gender; sex.
idioms
-
in kind,
-
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.
-
in goods, commodities, or services rather than money.
In colonial times, payment was often made in kind.
-
-
kind of, to some extent; somewhat; rather.
The room was kind of dark.
-
of a kind, of the same class, nature, character, etc..
They are two of a kind.
noun
-
a class or group having characteristics in common; sort; type
two of a kind
what kind of creature?
-
an instance or example of a class or group, esp a rudimentary one
heating of a kind
-
essential nature or character
the difference is one of kind rather than degree
-
archaic gender or sex
-
archaic nature; the natural order
-
-
(of payment) in goods or produce rather than in money
-
with something of the same sort
to return an insult in kind
-
-
informal
-
(adverb) somewhat; rather
kind of tired
-
(sentence substitute) used to express reservation or qualified assent
I figured it out. Kind of
-
adjective
-
having a friendly or generous nature or attitude
-
helpful to others or to another
a kind deed
-
considerate or humane
-
cordial; courteous (esp in the phrase kind regards )
-
pleasant; agreeable; mild
a kind climate
-
informal beneficial or not harmful
a detergent that is kind to the hands
-
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:
At the same time, Ash to me sometimes fell into that kind of “AI tone” we’re all pretty familiar with by now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Still, there’s a kind of hip, comfort food aspect to the entire enterprise that keeps it an easy, if slightly cluttered and overlong watch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
But there’s a broad swath of Americans who love that kind of cosmic irony, and I understand where they’re coming from.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ahn did not launch an Anthropic product because he was unable to source exposure at the kind of valuation he was looking for.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
It was exactly the kind of progress he was hungry for.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
One psychiatrist we spoke with, who has worked on studies on these kinds of chatbots focused on mental health, estimates there are at least 100 of them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
But there can be all kinds of stories.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
That’s not AI, but we’ve been using those kinds of tools, and there’s always the danger of overusing them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Elordi notes that he is "afraid of large movies and things packed with action set pieces" but was reassured by Sir Ridley as "the master of these kinds of films".
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Faced with these kinds of dangers, there came a moment when everything stopped and an instant of complete stillness fell over me and over everything around me.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
But she acknowledges that her distinct approach — kinder, gentler, more tearful — is rooted in her particular skill set: “It’s similar to how I responded to being led in kitchens,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
A County Down father has said he feels "inspired" to be kinder to others, after a man he had never met before gave him and his two sons tickets to a World Cup match.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
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
“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
UFC Brazil reporter Evelyn Rodrigues wrote in the comments: “One of the kindest souls I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing through MMA. Rest in peace, Allan.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Brandreth described Dame Penelope as one of the nicest and kindest people.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Inevitable as Funches’ dismissal was, witnessing the quiet camaraderie blossom between him and Rausch was one of the kindest, warmest subplots of an especially ruthless season.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
"Marcus was one of a kind with the kindest of hearts who would help anyone out he could," they said.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Like Jackie did of Jim, Leila celebrated Keith, “the sweetest, kindest, quiet, shy genius.”
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
