kinship
Americannoun
-
kinships
plural
-
the state or fact of being of kin; family relationship.
- Synonyms:
- connection
-
relationship by nature, qualities, etc.; affinity.
- Synonyms:
- bearing, connection
noun
-
blood relationship
-
the state of having common characteristics or a common origin
Synonym Usage
See relationship.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of kinship
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.
Vocabulary lists containing kinship
It's All in the Family
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Human Geography - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
As such, when I saw that Crystal Palace had the lowest number of subscribers on its subreddit of any side in the league, I felt a natural kinship.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Dozens of men, women and children died in the surprise attack, but, respecting kinship ties, the attacking Mohawks spared all save one of the 30 pro-English Mohawks inside the stockade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Hana and Yeon-su discovered BTS as they rose to global stardom, but the women felt a kinship with them as they learned of their struggles - something the group spoke and sang about candidly.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
More than 2.4 million children across the U.S. are raised in grandfamilies, also known as kinship families.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
He felt a secret kinship with the ocean.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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
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
Seeing it in one fell swoop requires reserves of concentration in the viewer — and possibly a flow chart of the people and their complex and shifting kinships.
From Time ● Aug. 22, 2011
The counters are linked together by bands of various widths, down to mere threads, the widths being proportional to the closeness of the several kinships.
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
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.
