kin 1 of 2

noun

ˈkin How to pronounce kin (audio)
Definition of kinnext
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

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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

kin

2 of 2

adjective

as in kindred

Related 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
Noun
In a news release Thursday, the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office detailed its efforts to identify and find kin for a man found floating in a portion of the lengthy creek that goes through Metcalf Park on June 14, 1997. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026 Police did not release the names, ages or genders of the victims, saying next-of-kin notifications were underway. — Reuters, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Adjective
And non-kin pairs were more likely to engage in this genital-to-genital contact than kin. — New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2025 Chickens also retain a smidge of the predatory instinct that made their kin such formidable hunters. — Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for kin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kin
  1. family
  2. cousin
  3. kindred
  4. tribe
  5. relative
  6. folk
  7. clan
  8. national
Noun
  • But others criticized the tactics used and family separations.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026
  • To support the Rose family, those interested can contribute to a GoFundMe.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of family
Noun
  • The cousin had made it to the top of the suicide-bomber list at Menagh, said his prayers, and taken his position behind the driver’s seat in a truck full of explosives.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The third installment pivots slightly, focusing more on the experiences of Debra, who is haunted and hunted in the same way as her cousin, Jenny.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of cousin
Adjective
  • Charles, canny and discerning, is a threat — and maybe a kindred spirit.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
  • And her emotional one-on-ones with Streep are among the films' very best, as Miranda fleetingly lets her guard down and Andy discovers a kindred spirit.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of kindred
Noun
  • Native American tribes say the approximately 520-acre site in Virginia is sacred.
    — Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The company agrees with skeptics like the NFL that justices must eventually opine on whether states and tribes should regulate its sports event contracts as sports bets, a Supreme Court litigator working with Kalshi told Semafor.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of tribe
Noun
  • Authorities have reportedly issued more than a dozen subpoenas, including to some of Omar’s relatives, and are examining her family’s immigration paperwork.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • According to the indictment, detainees were subjected to electric shocks, simulated drowning, beatings, asphyxiation, sleep deprivation and threats against their relatives.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of relative
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
Definition of folk
Noun
  • The Worth clan, especially the demure yet hungry-eyed adult daughter Penny, played by Gail Russell, nurses Quirt back to health after his opening-credits shootout with the Laredo gang — of which Quirt’s a member, looking to get out.
    — Michael Phillips, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The streamer and Shondaland announced Thursday that an untitled spinoff about the early life of the future matriarch of the Bridgerton clan is in the works.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of clan
Adjective
  • But the talent for going viral that helped Ramaswamy gain a national profile has proved less successful this election cycle in Ohio.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Because of its proportional representation system – voters cast one vote for a national party-list – even the largest parties rarely win more than 35 seats, and Israel has always had coalition governments.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of national

Browse Nearby Words

kimonos
kin
kind
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Cite this Entry

“Kin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kin. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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