kind

1
[ kahynd ]
See synonyms for: kindkinderkindestkinds on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often followed by to): to be kind to animals.

  2. mild; gentle; clement: kind weather.

  3. British Dialect. loving; affectionate.

Origin of kind

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English kind(e) “natural, well-disposed,” Old English gecynde “natural;” see origin at genial1, kind2

synonym study For kind

1. 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 words for kind

Opposites for kind

Other definitions for kind (2 of 2)

kind2
[ kahynd ]

noun
  1. 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.

  2. nature or character as determining likeness or difference between things: These differ in degree rather than in kind.

  1. a person or thing as being of a particular character or class: He is a strange kind of hero.

  2. a more or less adequate example of something; sort: The vines formed a kind of roof.

  3. Archaic.

    • the nature, or natural disposition or character.

    • manner; form.

  4. Obsolete. gender; sex.

Origin of kind

2
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

usage note For kind

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.

Other words for kind

Words that may be confused with kind

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use kind in a sentence

  • Mr. Bills kinder wilted after you all went out, and the whole thing flatted.

    The Cromptons | Mary J. Holmes
  • It is better for animals to be where the jungle is, for the jungle is sweeter and kinder than that wilderness of stones—the city.

    Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
  • The kinder, more patient and attentive you are, the more of your bars I will remove, so that in some months—who knows how soon?

    Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander Dumas
  • There was one among the guards of the prison, a young man, who was always kinder in his deportment to us than any of the others.

    Confessions of a Thug | Philip Meadows Taylor
  • She warn't ever the same after that; she never complained, but she kinder pined away and did not live long.

    Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for kind (1 of 2)

kind1

/ (kaɪnd) /


adjective
  1. having a friendly or generous nature or attitude

  2. helpful to others or to another: a kind deed

  1. considerate or humane

  2. cordial; courteous (esp in the phrase kind regards)

  3. pleasant; agreeable; mild: a kind climate

  4. informal beneficial or not harmful: a detergent that is kind to the hands

  5. archaic loving

Origin of kind

1
Old English gecynde natural, native; see kind ²

British Dictionary definitions for kind (2 of 2)

kind2

/ (kaɪnd) /


noun
  1. a class or group having characteristics in common; sort; type: two of a kind; what kind of creature?

  2. an instance or example of a class or group, esp a rudimentary one: heating of a kind

  1. essential nature or character: the difference is one of kind rather than degree

  2. archaic gender or sex

  3. archaic nature; the natural order

  4. in kind

    • (of payment) in goods or produce rather than in money

    • with something of the same sort: to return an insult in kind

  5. kind of informal

    • (adverb) somewhat; rather: kind of tired

    • (sentence substitute) used to express reservation or qualified assent: I figured it out. Kind of

Origin of kind

2
Old English gecynd nature; compare Old English cyn kin, Gothic kuni race, Old High German kikunt, Latin gens

usage For kind

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with kind

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.