Alexis de Tocqueville
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If you believe that advice and relatives are inseparable, the etymology of kindred will prove you right. Kindred comes from a combination of kin and the Old English word ræden ("condition"), which itself comes from the verb rædan, meaning "to advise." Kindred entered English as a noun first during the Middle Ages. That noun, which can refer to a group of related individuals or to one's own relatives, gave rise to the adjective kindred in the 14th century.
Synonyms
Examples of kindred in a Sentence
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 7 July 2023
Watch The Way Home on Peacock Ginny & Georgia
Gilmore Girls fans found a kindred series in this Netflix original, which follows a young mother who moves to a new town with her daughter and son to get a fresh start following the death of her husband.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2023
But the summers of the Pacific Northwest beguiled him, along with an arty scene of kindred directors.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
Their voices fill the church with the joyous sounds of a hymn:
Blest be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above.
—John Hanc, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Aug. 2023
The conservative Texas duo share both a tendency for political fence-riding and an apparent kindred camaraderie, perhaps in relating to each other’s spinelessness.
—Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 8 May 2023
Fans of the likes of Maren Ade’s 2016 comedy-drama Toni Erdmann or Alex van Warmerdam’s 2013 psychological thriller Borgman may recognize a kindred sensibility.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 6 Apr. 2023
Advertisement Nan finds a kindred soul in Jennifer (Gilbert), a bone-weary nurse’s aide who’s at the Dunkin’ waiting for a tow truck, in the company of her cantankerous elderly patient Joey (King).
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2023
Having made a triumphant re-emergence on the London stage in 2016 as King Lear, Ms. Jackson brings a kindred squall of wintry ferocity to Maud Horsham, a woman with dementia who insists, to deaf ears all around, that her friend Elizabeth has disappeared.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 30 Dec. 2020
Markham Heid, Time, 6 Dec. 2022
Hellboy and his team face an underworld prince who plans to awaken a lethal army and use it to reclaim Earth for his magical kindred.
—Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2021
Third, there is the moderating role of the Umunna (sons of the land), Umuada (daughters of the land) and Ikwu (members of a kindred).
—Nnamdi Madichie, Quartz, 29 Apr. 2021
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kindred.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Adjective
attributive use of kindred entry 2
Noun
Middle English kynrede "family, lineage, blood relations, kinship, nation," going back to late Old English cynrǣden "kinship" (attested once as kynrædan, accusative or dative), from cynn "progeny, kin entry 1" + -rǣden, suffixal use of rǣden "condition, stipulation," derivative (in -enn-, feminine noun suffix, going back to *inj-) probably from the base of gerǣde "prepared, ready," gerād "conditioned, disposed" — more at ready entry 1
Note: The noun rǣden, also attested in the senses "rule, direction" and "estimation," has been taken as a derivative of the verb rǣdan "to advise, deliberate, direct," etc. (see read entry 1), though these usages may reflect partial merger with rǣding, the verbal noun of rǣdan. In general, the outcomes of Germanic *raidja- and *rēd- can be difficult to separate in Old English.
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Phrases Containing kindred
Dictionary Entries Near kindred
Cite this Entry
“Kindred.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kindred. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
kindred
1 of 2 noun
kindred
2 of 2 adjective
Medical Definition
kindred
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on kindred
Nglish: Translation of kindred for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of kindred for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kindred
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