kin

1 of 3

noun

ˈkin 

1

: a group of persons of common ancestry : clan

2

a

: one's relatives : kindred

our neighbors and their kin

close kin

b

: kinsman

he wasn't any kin to you

—Jean Stafford

3

archaic : kinship

kin

2 of 3

adjective

: kindred, related

-kin

3 of 3

noun suffix

kən

variants or less commonly -kins

kənz

: little

catkin

babykins

Synonyms

Noun

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

Examples of kin in a Sentence

Noun

They are her distant kin.

invited all of his kith and kin to his graduation party

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Of the more than 250 possible primate species, Dr. Woodcock selected chimpanzees, our closest genomic kin, to mimic the Bard. —Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025

The article included other remarks related to Carter’s faith — such as the importance of the separation of church and state, a conviction born of Carter’s Southern Baptist upbringing — but the adultery comment opened a rift with Carter’s kin in Christ. —Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 29 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Chickens also retain a smidge of the predatory instinct that made their kin such formidable hunters. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

Bennett’s musings have an ethical component: if a nuisance tree, or a dead tree, or a dead rat is my kin, then everything is kin—even a piece of trash. —Morgan Meis, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English cynn; akin to Old High German chunni race, Latin genus birth, race, kind, Greek genos, Latin gignere to beget, Greek gignesthai to be born

Adjective

attributive use of kin entry 1

Noun suffix

Middle English, from Middle Dutch -kin; akin to Old High German -chīn, diminutive suffix

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing kin

• kin selection
• kin to
• kith and kin
• next of kin

Kids Definition

kin

1 of 3 noun

ˈkin 

1

: a person's relatives

2

: kinsman

kin

2 of 3 adjective

: being related : kindred

-kin

3 of 3 noun suffix

kən

variants also -kins

kənz

: little

—often used in affectionate nicknames

babykins

Etymology

Noun suffix

Middle English -kin "little," from early Dutch -kin "little"

Legal Definition

kin

noun

: one's relatives

kinship

-ˌship 

noun