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kind

1
[kahynd]
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adjective, kind·er, kind·est.
  1. of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person.
  2. having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence: kind words.
  3. indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often followed by to): to be kind to animals.
  4. mild; gentle; clement: kind weather.
  5. British Dialect. loving; affectionate.
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Origin of kind

1
before 900; Middle English kind(e) natural, well-disposed, Old English gecynde natural, genial1. See kind2

Synonyms for kind

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1. mild, benign, benignant, gentle, tender, compassionate. 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.

Antonyms for kind

1. cruel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for kinder

sympathetic, affectionate, charitable, amiable, kindly, kindhearted, cordial, courteous, compassionate, tolerant, gentle, thoughtful, humane, gracious, considerate, friendly, loving, humanitarian, understanding, altruistic

Examples from the Web for kinder

Contemporary Examples of kinder

Historical Examples of kinder

  • My friend was, if any thing, kinder and more affectionate than ever.

  • All that one is able to record is that she was kinder to Yates than she had been at the beginning.

  • He kinder started when he see me, jumped on and begin to drive off.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

  • Old mare's kinder skeery o' the engine, so I tied her a piece off.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

  • The eyes were wide apart, and kinder than in the photographs.

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for kinder

kind

1
adjective
  1. having a friendly or generous nature or attitude
  2. helpful to others or to anothera kind deed
  3. considerate or humane
  4. cordial; courteous (esp in the phrase kind regards)
  5. pleasant; agreeable; milda kind climate
  6. informal beneficial or not harmfula detergent that is kind to the hands
  7. archaic loving
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Word Origin for kind

Old English gecynde natural, native; see kind ²

kind

2
noun
  1. a class or group having characteristics in common; sort; typetwo of a kind; what kind of creature?
  2. an instance or example of a class or group, esp a rudimentary oneheating of a kind
  3. essential nature or characterthe difference is one of kind rather than degree
  4. archaic gender or sex
  5. archaic nature; the natural order
  6. in kind
    1. (of payment) in goods or produce rather than in money
    2. with something of the same sortto return an insult in kind
  7. kind of informal
    1. (adverb)somewhat; ratherkind of tired
    2. (sentence substitute)used to express reservation or qualified assentI figured it out. Kind of
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Word Origin for kind

Old English gecynd nature; compare Old English cyn kin, Gothic kuni race, Old High German kikunt, Latin gens

usage

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for kinder

kind

n.

"class, sort, variety," from Old English gecynd "kind, nature, race," related to cynn "family" (see kin), from Proto-Germanic *gakundjaz "family, race" (see kind (adj.)). Ælfric's rendition of "the Book of Genesis" into Old English came out gecyndboc. The prefix disappeared 1150-1250. No exact cognates beyond English, but it corresponds to adjective endings such as Goth -kunds, Old High German -kund. Also in English as a suffix (mankind, etc.). Other earlier, now obsolete, senses in English included "character, quality derived from birth" and "manner or way natural or proper to anyone." Use in phrase a kind of (1590s) led to colloquial extension as adverb (1804) in phrases such as kind of stupid ("a kind of stupid (person)").

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kind

adj.

"friendly, deliberately doing good to others," from Old English gecynde "natural, native, innate," originally "with the feeling of relatives for each other," from Proto-Germanic *gakundiz "natural, native," from *kunjam (see kin), with collective prefix *ga- and abstract suffix *-iz. Sense development from "with natural feelings," to "well-disposed" (c.1300), "benign, compassionate" (c.1300).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with kinder

kind

In addition to the idiom beginning with kind

  • kind of

also see:

  • all kinds of
  • in kind
  • nothing of the kind
  • of a kind
  • two of a kind
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.