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

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Etymology

Origin of kinship

First recorded in 1825–35; kin + -ship

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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

Eligible UASCs, like other young people in foster, kinship or residential care can remain under local authority care up to the age of 21.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Already closely tied to Guam by culture, kinship and trade, the majority of residents wanted to follow their neighbor’s path as a U.S. territory.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

These works, meditations on a space where she spent much time, share some kinship with those of the Abstract Expressionists and Color Field painters of the era.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

They share a kinship with Gaines, who not only mentored Halsey, but designed the artwork for “Indigo Garden.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Turner felt a kind of unhappy kinship with them.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

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

There’s a strong resemblance to aspects of American Horror Story, which, like Pose, often unites feuding characters and invests heavily in the idea of queer kinships.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 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

Traces of such kinships, and of Totemism, also of alleged promiscuity in ancient times, were detected by McLennan in the legends, folk-lore and institutions of Greece, Rome and India.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2 "Fairbanks, Erastus" to "Fens" by Various

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Related Words

• affinity

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