kindred

1 of 2

adjective

kin·​dred ˈkin-drəd 

1

: of a similar nature or character : like

a kindred spirit

2

: of the same ancestry

kindred tribes

kindred

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a group of related individuals

b

: one's relatives

… if his kindred still remain to him …

—Alexis de Tocqueville

2

: family relationship : kinship

Did you know?

Family—both ancestral and in spirit—is what puts the “kin” in kindred. This word comes from the Old English noun for “kinship,” cynrǣden, which combines cynn (meaning “kin”) and ræden, meaning “condition.” Kindred first entered English as a noun 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. Other words akin to kin include kinfolk (and kinsfolk), kinship, kinsman, and kinswoman.

Synonyms

Adjective

• affiliated
• akin
• allied
• related

Noun

• blood
• clan
• family
• folks
• house
• kin
• kinfolk
• kinfolks
• kinsfolk
• line
• lineage
• people
• race
• stock
• tribe

Examples of kindred in a Sentence

Adjective

philosophy, political theory, and kindred topics

I believe she and I are kindred spirits.

German and English are kindred languages.

Noun

He went out to sea, and never saw his kindred again.

the kingdom's royal kindred actually numbers in the thousands

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Trump’s policies and rhetoric seem aimed at nothing less than turning America’s dark double into its kindred soul. —Eric Jason Martin Tanya Pérez Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025

The record will appear on his debut album Order Chaos Order, out June 13, which emerged from a kindred dichotomy. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025

Noun

Connecting with your kindred will be magnificent now. —Kyle Thomas, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025

The French researchers, working with another team in Montreal, Canada, identified a specific problem mutation in this kindred. —Markham Heid, Time, 6 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

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.

First Known Use

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

• kindred spirit

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Kids Definition

kindred

1 of 2 noun

kin·​dred ˈkin-drəd 

1

: a group of related individuals

2

: a person's relatives

kindred

2 of 2 adjective

: alike in nature or character

a kindred spirit

Medical Definition

kindred

noun

kin·​dred ˈkin-drəd 

: a group of related individuals : a genealogical group

incidence of cancer among members of a kindred