kind of

adverb

1

: to a moderate degree : somewhat

it's kind of late to begin

2

: in a way that approximates : more or less

kind of sneaked up on us

Synonyms

• enough
• fairly
• kindly [chiefly Southern]
• like
• moderately
• more or less
• pretty
• quite
• rather
• relatively
• something
• somewhat
• sort of

Example Sentences

those sheets are kind of new, so use something else to cover the floor while painting

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

kind of

adverb

ˌkīn-də(v)

: to a moderate degree : somewhat

itʼs kind of cold in here

he kind of likes me