kissing cousin

noun

1. kissing kin

2. something closely related or very similar.

   a textile that is a kissing cousin to nylon.

Word History and Origins

Origin of kissing cousin¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

He’s now returned with a weirder, more diaphanous book, this time viewing surfing as the kissing cousin of, and potential solution to, substance addiction.

Read more on New York Times

Stromboli, kissing cousin to the calzone, is an Italian wrap, a delicious pastry filled with goodies.

Read more on Salon

Recalling the promise of a “dramatic” address, Gilat summed up the prime minister’s appearance thusly: “No drama, no semi-drama, not even a kissing cousin of drama.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Its ideology is a kissing cousin’s to Orban’s, so much so that Polish leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has praised the Hungarian prime minister as an ally in resisting the EU’s insistence on democratic governance.

Read more on Salon

A kissing cousin to pot is showing up in your coffee, candy and chocolate bars.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accomplice 
• ally 
• assistant 
• buddy 
• co-worker 
• cohort 
• collaborator 
• companion 
• comrade 
• crony 
• fellow 
• friend 
• partner