kind

noun \ ˈkīnd \

Definition of kind

1 a :a group united by common traits or interests :category

b :a specific or recognized variety

what kind of car do you drive

c :a doubtful or barely admissible member of a category

a kind of gray

2 :fundamental nature or quality :essence

a difference in degree but not in kind

3 a :goods or commodities as distinguished from money

payment in kind

b :the equivalent of what has been offered or received

promised to return the favor in kind

4 a archaic :nature

b archaic :family, lineage

5 archaic :manner

— all kinds of

1 :many

likes all kinds of sports

2 :plenty of

has all kinds of time

See kind defined for English-language learners

See kind defined for kids

Examples of kind in a Sentence

hawks and other birds of that kind
In this city, you'll find many kinds of people.
I like to try different kinds of food.
She described the color as a kind of red.
I think he's an accountant, financial adviser, or something of that kind.

Recent Examples of kind from the Web

She's told her one-of-a-kind life story on shows hosted by Marc Maron, Joe Rogan, Eddie Ifft, Bert Kreischer and Ari Shaffir.

— david lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "From Atlanta ‘liquor house’ to Plainfield suburbia, Ms. Pat’s harrowing and hilarious life," 30 Aug. 2017
That kind of speech shouldn't just be tolerated, it should be celebrated.

— joseph gerth, The Courier-Journal, "The U of L board of trustees is headed down a dangerous path | Joseph Gerth," 30 Aug. 2017
Mesek suggested the Music Masters could morph into a different kind of event.

— troy l. smith, cleveland.com, "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 'presses pause' on beloved Music Masters," 30 Aug. 2017
If the Saints get this kind of protection during the regular season, Brees will have another monster year.

— jeff duncan, NOLA.com, "10 things we learned from the Saints' 13-0 win against the Texans," 27 Aug. 2017
Gase wouldn’t commit to Maualuga practicing this week, or playing in Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings until trainers see what kind of shape Maualuga is in when the team begins practicing on Sunday.

— omar kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dolphins' Rey Maualuga might not be ready to play in season opener," 25 Aug. 2017
Organizations of all kinds need to keep updated, offline data backups for a quick recovery after cyberattacks such as the global WannaCry ransomware outbreak.

— WIRED, "The Great Tech Panic: What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Worry About," 25 Aug. 2017
Curious about these anti-microbial behaviors, evolutionary biologist Rebecca Kilner at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, along with her postdoc Ana Duarte, assessed the numbers and kinds of bacteria on the carcasses.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Burying beetles mix a special growth potion for their young: one part dead mice, many parts bacteria," 24 Aug. 2017
Galileo looked at the wavelengths of light leaving Earth, and using that data Galileo could determine the kinds of molecules in our atmosphere.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "What's the Best Way to Look For Aliens, Anyway?," 24 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kind.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of kind

Middle English kinde, from Old English cynd; akin to Old English cynn kin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

kind Synonyms

Synonyms

breed, class, description, feather, genre, ilk, kidney, sort, like, manner, nature, order, species, strain, stripe, type, variety

Related Words

model; sample, specimen; bracket, bunch, category, division, family, grade, group, grouping, lot, persuasion, rank (s), set, suite

Synonym Discussion of kind

type, kind, sort, nature, description, character mean a number of individuals thought of as a group because of a common quality or qualities. type may suggest strong and clearly marked similarity throughout the items included so that each is typical of the group.

- one of three basic body types

kind may suggest natural grouping.

- a zoo seemingly having animals of every kind

sort often suggests some disparagement.

- the sort of newspaper dealing in sensational stories

nature may imply inherent, essential resemblance rather than obvious or superficial likenesses.

- two problems of a similar nature

description implies a group marked by agreement in all details belonging to a type as described or defined.

- not all acts of that description are actually illegal

character implies a group marked by distinctive likenesses peculiar to the type.

- research on the subject so far has been of an elementary character

kind

adjective

Definition of kind

1 a :of a sympathetic or helpful nature

was helped by a kind neighbor

They were very kind to us.

b :of a forbearing nature :gentle

kind treatment of animals

c :arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance

a kind act

a kind smile

2 :of a kind to give pleasure or relief

cooled by a kind breeze

3 chiefly dialectal :affectionate, loving

See kind defined for English-language learners

Examples of kind in a Sentence

A kind old woman took the cat in and nursed it back to health.
It was very kind of you to show me the way.
Thank you for your kind words.

Recent Examples of kind from the Web

And also just a general awareness of kind comments.

— nicholas thompson, WIRED, "Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom on Free Speech, Artificial Intelligence, and Internet Addiction.," 17 Aug. 2017
Young people don’t simply regard Trump as a less-than-ideal steward of their futures, but as a poison forced upon them by elders who have disclaimed any responsibility for bequeathing their offspring a bright and kind and healthy civic life.

— brian beutler, New Republic, "Republicans, Remove This Madman From Power," 11 Aug. 2017
In other words, while conservatives saw the clash as facts versus feelings, the Left viewed the exchange through the prism of kind versus cruel.

— david french, National Review, "On Immigration, Poetry Isn’t Policy, but Poetry Matters," 3 Aug. 2017
Its spa is the largest in the region at 70,000 square feet and has a one-of-a-kind thermal experience, plus an integrative medical wellness center.

— lynn hammer, star-telegram, "Girls getaway," 28 July 2017
But blockbuster history might be kinder to the summer of 2017.

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "This Was the Best Blockbuster Summer in Years: Here Are the 6 You Have to See," 27 July 2017
In a conversation with Heat Vision, the pair discuss creating more believable high school characters for 2017, why secret identities can be kind of cheesy and how Michael Keaton's The Vulture joined the fray in the Marvel and Sony film.

— aaron couch, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Writers Had Just 3 Days to Win Over Marvel," 7 July 2017
Another irony: In being a movie about the life of P. T. Barnum (who probably in real life was nowhere near as kind or charming as Hugh Jackman's portrayal of him), The Greatest Showman is, by default, about the origins of the circus.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "Hugh Jackman Is Fun Again in The Greatest Showman Trailer," 28 June 2017
Pop was huge and creative and kind of really brilliant.

— alexa tietjen | wwd, latimes.com, "Stylist Mel Ottenberg reflects on Rihanna's look as the singer's album 'Good Girl Gone Bad' turns 10," 30 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of kind

see ¹kind

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

kind Synonyms

Synonyms

attentive, considerate, thoughtful, solicitous

Antonyms

heedless, inconsiderate, thoughtless, unthinking

Near Antonyms

inattentive, uncaring, unheeding; inhospitable, unkind, unkindly; ill-bred, ill-mannered, impolite, rude, uncivil, unmannerly; unhelpful; malevolent, malicious, mean, spiteful

KIND Defined for English Language Learners

kind

noun

Definition of kind for English Language Learners

: a group of people or things that belong together or have some shared quality : a particular type or variety of person or thing

kind

adjective

Definition of kind for English Language Learners

: having or showing a gentle nature and a desire to help others : wanting and liking to do good things and to bring happiness to others
—used to make a formal request

KIND Defined for Kids

kind

noun \ ˈkīnd \

Definition of kind for Students

:a group of persons or things that belong together or have something in common

All kinds of people came.

What kind of car does she drive?

kind

adjective

Definition of kind for Students

kinder; kindest

1 :wanting or liking to do good and to bring happiness to others :considerate

a kind woman

2 :showing or growing out of gentleness or goodness of heart

a kind act

Law Dictionary

kind

noun

legal Definition of kind

1 :a particular type, category, or class

properties of like kind

— see also like-kind exchange

2 a :an unconverted form

a partition of property in kind

; broadly :a form other than money

forbid a bribe in cash or in kind

— see also in-kind

b :the equivalent in value

repay a loan in kind

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kind

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KIND Defined for English Language Learners

kind

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kind

Definition of kind for English Language Learners

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kind

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kind

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