What does "kin" mean?
Race; family; breed; kind.
Kin
/kɪn/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Race; family; breed; kind.
- Grammar: kin is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: family, kindred, kinship group, agnate.
- Useful contrasts: unrelated contents, unrelated culture, nonrelatives.
- Usage evidence: Someone should notify the next of kin.
How to use "kin"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "kin" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "kin" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "kin" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "kin" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "kin" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "family" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "kin", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Race; family; breed; kind. countable, uncountable
- 2 Alternative form of qin (“Chinese string instrument”). alt-of, alternative
"Originally they had only two cither-like instruments, which had flat sound-boxes without fingerboards, over which were strung rather a large number (25) of strings of twisted silk — the kin and tsche."
- 3 A fictional or non-fictional being whom one spiritually connects to. slang
- 4 Alternative form of k'in. alt-of, alternative
- 5 Clipping of kinesiology. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, colloquial, uncountable
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 group of people related by blood or marriage wordnet
- 7 Persons of the same race or family; kindred. collective, countable, uncountable
"c. 1620, Francis Bacon, letter of advice to Sir George Villiers You are of kin, and so must be a friend to their persons."
- 8 Someone who identifies as a certain fictional character. slang
- 9 a person having kinship with another or others wordnet
- 10 One or more relatives, such as siblings or cousins, taken collectively. countable, uncountable
"Among those who derive information related to work from personal contacts, nonkins, rather than kins, constitute the most important sources even for women."
- 11 Relationship; same-bloodedness or affinity; near connection or alliance, as of those having common descent. countable, uncountable
"Such sensations, however, were too near a kin to resentment to be long guiding Fanny's soliloquies."
Verb
- 1 To identify with; as in spiritually connect to a fictional or non-fictional being. slang, transitive
- 2 Pronunciation spelling of can. alt-of, pronunciation-spelling
"[Owl:] Oh I ain't stealin' this dime... I just took it for safe-keepin'. [Turtle:] Ain't much you kin do with it—'cept make a phone call."
Adjective
- 1 Related by blood or marriage, akin. (It is more common to form sentences using the noun instead.) not-comparable, uncommon
"It turns out my back-fence neighbor is kin to one of my co-workers."
Adjective
- 1 related by blood wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Alternative form of Jin. alt-of, alternative, obsolete
- 2 Clipping of Kinshasa. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
Antonyms
Example
"Someone should notify the next of kin."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "kin"?
Common synonyms include: family, kindred, kinship group, agnate, akin, ancestry.
How do you use "kin" in a sentence?
Someone should notify the next of kin.
How do you pronounce "kin"?
Pronounced /kɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English kyn, from Old English cynn (“kind, sort, rank”), from Proto-West Germanic *kuni, from Proto-Germanic *kunją (“race, generation, descent”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₁yom, from *ǵenh₁- (“to produce”). Cognate with Scots kin (“relatives, kinfolk”), North Frisian kinn, kenn (“gender, race, family, kinship”), Dutch kunne (“gender, sex”), Middle Low German kunne (“gender, sex, race, family, lineage”), Danish køn (“gender, sex”), Swedish kön (“gender, sex”), Icelandic kyn (“gender”), Finnish kunnia (“honour, glory”), Ingrian kunnia (“reputation”), and through Indo-European, with Latin genus (“kind, sort, ancestry, birth”), Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “kind, race”), Sanskrit जनस् (jánas, “kind, race”), Albanian dhen (“(herd of) small cattle”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Mandarin 琴 (qín), from a non-palatal dialect akin to Peking; or less likely, from Japanese 琴 (kin).
Etymology 3
Clipping of fictionkin.
Etymology 4
An irregular romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 晉 /晋 (Jìn).
Etymology 5
See Kinshasa