kinship

American  

[kin-ship] / ˈkɪn ʃɪp /

noun

• kinships
  plural

1. the state or fact of being of kin; family relationship.

   Synonyms:

   connection

2. relationship by nature, qualities, etc.; affinity.

   Synonyms:

   bearing, connection

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kinship British  

/ ˈkɪnʃɪp /

noun

1. blood relationship

2. the state of having common characteristics or a common origin

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kinship Cultural  

1. A relation between two or more persons that is based on common ancestry (descent) or marriage (affinity).

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Synonym Usage

See relationship.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kinships
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kinship

First recorded in 1825–35; kin + -ship

Explanation

Kinship is a family relationship. You might describe the wonderful, close kinship you have with your favorite cousin. Your kin is your family, so it's easy to see that kinship describes family bonds, like the kinship between members of the same Scottish clan or the kinship an uncle feels in the midst of a dozen crazy nieces and nephews. Kinship can also describe a close family-like relationship, like the kinship of the teachers at your school who have worked together for many years and who all care deeply about students and learning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kinship kinships

Delivering a toast, he said: "A blessing to the kinship between the Irish and Canadian people, may we always meet each other at the threshold and cross it together."

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

With less hesitation, Bell, 40, acknowledges that he finds a certain kinship with his character.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

As their kinship deepened, the two seemed to forge a single identity, one that recognized wordlessly what worked in a song and what didn’t.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

That kinship is what makes Coppola’s first documentary, “Marc by Sofia,” such a thrill — and also what occasionally holds the film back.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026

I don’t know what I thought I’d see— I guess after three months of addressing him, I was sure I’d feel a certain kinship with the stocky, overdressed man before me.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Because the operations at most milk banks make it difficult for kinships to be traced, most religious scholars think that the banks "should be treated like breastfeeding," Ghaly says.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2021

The new research also revealed instances of remarkable continuity, kinships that spanned thousands of years.

From New York Times ● Nov. 8, 2018

Dobyns has forged deep friendships in the Native-American medicine communities over the years, says Amos, kinships she has been generous enough to share with Amos.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 7, 2017

But other structures bear strong kinships in these animals, too.

From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2013

Example: Let the person from whom the kinships are reckoned be called P, and let Q and R be two of P's kinsfolk, described respectively as fa bro and me si son.

From Noteworthy Families (Modern Science) An Index to Kinships in Near Degrees between Persons Whose Achievements Are Honourable, and Have Been Publicly Recorded by Sir Francis Galton

Related Words

• affinity