1
as in family
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor
invited all of his kith and kin to his graduation party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cousin
a person connected with another by blood or marriage
since she did not appear to be kin to either side, we've no idea what she was doing at the wedding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kin
Aldo Toledo, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Feb. 2026
Social capital and child development Immigrant grandparents and extended kin often play an active role in children’s lives.
—Sothy Eng, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
The Oscar winners have been friends for half a century and their kin span generations.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for kin
Noun
The victim was transferred to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office for identification and next-of-kin notification.
—Aldo Toledo, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Feb. 2026
Social capital and child development Immigrant grandparents and extended kin often play an active role in children’s lives.
—Sothy Eng, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Chickens also retain a smidge of the predatory instinct that made their kin such formidable hunters.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
The Oscar winners have been friends for half a century and their kin span generations.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for kin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kin
Noun
-
Within months, her brother had sold the family home in Streamwood for around $160,000.—
Carol Thompson,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
That game served as a fundraiser for the MacCallum family.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Scottish media have reported that Lyons survived a shooting in Glasgow in 2006 that killed his cousin, later moved to Spain and eventually settled in Dubai.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
De Rothschild and her husband, Benjamin, were also in the midst of a battle with Benjamin’s cousin, David de Rothschild, regarding who could use the family name for their businesses.—
Shirsho Dasgupta,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Though Purdue and Indiana are the dominant teams among fans here, the locals at The Depot saw a kindred spirit when Hurley came to town.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The group recognized Friedmann as a kindred spirit.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The quarter-ton bears, apex predators who are revered by some Native American tribes but also feared for their attacks on livestock and sometimes humans, became locally extinct in California in 1924, the same year that the last California gray wolf was captured and killed.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Askia Bennett is a wild man for the Young Seminole Hunters tribe.—
Will Croxton,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hernandez has weathered persistent criticism from co-workers, clients and their relatives.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
These realities are placing increasing pressure on families, many of whom are trying to care for relatives remotely.—
Wendy R. Anderson,
Washington Post,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As has been its wont for many years now, over its three days the festival offers a lineup that mixes folk and roots (however understood) and non-folk artists.—
Stuart Munro,
BostonGlobe.com,
19 July 2022
-
The songwriter in question is Phoebe Kreutz, darling of the New York City anti-folk movement of the early ‘00s.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
8 July 2022
Noun
-
Police last month detained 16 people allegedly linked to the Mazzarella clan on cyber fraud charges.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Most of his clan had inherited the freckled, rabbity Kennedy looks.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Union League, in contrast, was for those who could demonstrate their commitment to the national cause, and its clubhouse quickly became a place to get the latest news from the Southern battlefields.—
Michael Gorra,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
It was installed in the left‑field concourse last month, six years after the city of Dallas removed it from Love Field following the 2020 protests and national reckoning over racial injustice.—
Marissa Armas,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kin. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
