kind
1
[ kahynd ]
/ kaɪnd /
adjective, kind·er, kind·est.
of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person: a kind and loving person.
having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence: kind words.
indulgent, considerate, or helpful; humane (often followed by to): to be kind to animals.
mild; gentle; clement: kind weather.
British Dialect.
loving; affectionate.
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Origin of kind
1SYNONYMS FOR kind
1
mild,
benign,
benignant,
gentle,
tender,
compassionate.
Kind,
gracious,
kindhearted,
kindly imply a sympathetic attitude toward others, and a willingness to do good or give pleasure.
Kind implies a deep-seated characteristic shown either habitually or on occasion by considerate behavior:
a kind father.
Gracious often refers to kindness from a superior or older person to a subordinate, an inferior, a child, etc.:
a gracious monarch.
Kindhearted implies an emotionally sympathetic nature, sometimes easily imposed upon:
a kindhearted old woman.
Kindly, a mild word, refers usually to general disposition, appearance, manner, etc.:
a kindly face.
Words nearby kind
Definition for kind (2 of 2)
kind
2
[ kahynd ]
/ kaɪnd /
noun
a class or group of individual objects, people, animals, etc., of the same nature or character, or classified together because they have traits in common; category: Our dog is the same kind as theirs.
nature or character as determining likeness or difference between things: These differ in degree rather than in kind.
a person or thing as being of a particular character or class: He is a strange kind of hero.
a more or less adequate or inadequate example of something; sort: The vines formed a kind of roof.
Archaic.
- the nature, or natural disposition or character.
- manner; form.
Obsolete.
gender; sex.
Origin of kind
2
before 900; Middle English
kinde, Old English
gecynd nature, race, origin; cognate with Old Norse
kyndi, Old High German
kikunt, Latin
gēns (genitive
gentis); see
kin
usage note for kind
The phrase
these (or
those )
kind of, followed by a plural noun (
these kind of flowers; those kind of shoes ) is frequently condemned as ungrammatical because it is said to combine a plural demonstrative (
these; those ) with a singular noun,
kind. Historically,
kind is an unchanged or unmarked plural noun like
deer, folk, sheep, and
swine, and the construction
these kind of is an old one, occurring in the writings of Shakespeare, Swift, Jane Austen, and, in modern times, Jimmy Carter and Winston Churchill.
Kind has also developed the plural
kinds, evidently because of the feeling that the old pattern was incorrect.
These kind of nevertheless persists in use, especially in less formal speech and writing. In edited, more formal prose,
this kind of and
these kinds of are more common.
Sort of has been influenced by the use of
kind as an unchanged plural:
these sort of books. This construction too is often considered incorrect and appears mainly in less formal speech and writing.
Kind (or sort ) of as an adverbial modifier meaning “somewhat” occurs in informal speech and writing: Sales have been kind (or sort ) of slow these last few weeks.
Kind (or sort ) of as an adverbial modifier meaning “somewhat” occurs in informal speech and writing: Sales have been kind (or sort ) of slow these last few weeks.
Example sentences from the Web for kind
British Dictionary definitions for kind (1 of 2)
kind
1
/ (kaɪnd) /
adjective
Word Origin for kind
Old English
gecynde natural, native; see
kind ²
British Dictionary definitions for kind (2 of 2)
kind
2
/ (kaɪnd) /
noun
Word Origin for kind
Old English
gecynd nature; compare Old English
cyn
kin, Gothic
kuni race, Old High German
kikunt, Latin
gens
usage for kind
The mixture of plural and singular constructions, although often used informally with
kind and
sort, should be avoided in serious writing:
children enjoy those kinds (not
those kind)
of stories; these sorts (not
these sort)
of distinctions are becoming blurred
Idioms and Phrases with kind
kind