of a kind
Idioms-
Of some sort, but not a typical or perfect specimen. For example, They have a backyard of a kind, but it's tiny . This usage was first recorded in 1895. For a synonym, see of sorts .
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one of a kind . A unique instance, as in There are no others like it; this hybrid daylily is one of a kind , or She's extremely generous, one of a kind . Also see two of a kind .
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.
But the chips make use of a kind of superfast memory that has limited capacity, meaning that lots of racks would be needed.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026
BBC Guernsey executive producer Michelle Danielle said Randall was "one of a kind".
From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026
And I think that was not just the beginning of loving baseball, but it was the beginning of a kind of reportorial curiosity: I want to know.
From Salon • Nov. 3, 2025
This new environment favors the Orthodox, pioneers of a kind of “self-segregation,” notes writer Joseph Epstein in the Wall Street Journal.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
Instead he had an overwhelming feeling of a kind of passion: for knowledge, for learning of all sorts—and for the children who sat that day at the small desks, as Gabe did.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
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.
