- a person's relatives collectively; kindred
- a class or group with similar characteristics
- See next of kin
- (postpositive) related by blood
- a less common word for akin
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
kin /kɪn/USA pronunciation
n. [plural]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Anthropologyall of a person's relatives.
kin
(kin),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
kin′less, adj.
-kin,
- Anthropology, Sociologya person's relatives collectively;
kinfolk. - Anthropology, Sociology, Sociologyfamily relationship or kinship.
- Anthropology, Sociologya group of persons descended from a common ancestor or constituting a family, clan, tribe, or race.
- Anthropology, Sociologya relative or kinsman.
- someone or something of the same or similar kind:philosophy and its kin, theology.
- Idioms of kin, of the same family;
related;
akin:Although their surnames are identical they are not of kin.
adj.
- of the same family;
related;
akin. - of the same kind or nature;
having affinity.
- bef. 900; Middle English; Old English cyn; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German kunni, Old Norse kyn, Gothic kuni; akin to Latin genus, Greek génos, Sanskrit jánas. See gender
-kin,
- a diminutive suffix of nouns:lambkin.
- Middle Dutch, Middle Low German -ken; cognate with German -chen
- Middle English
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
kin /kɪn/ n
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
-kin suffix forming nouns
- small: lambkin
'kin' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
akin
- Algonquin
- cannikin
- chink
- disinherit
- firkin
- flesh
- kin selection
- -kin
- kind
- kindred
- kinin
- kith
- next of kin
- pannikin
- pipkin
- spillikins
- Algonkin
- blood money
- blood royal
- bumpkin
- bur gherkin
- catkin
- chin
- crannequin
- devilkin
- donicker
- engine
- fitness
- folk
- Gadsbodikins
- galligaskins
- -gen
- genus
- grimalkin
- griskin
- Hodgkin's disease
- inclusive fitness
- jack
- kilderkin
- Kinabalu
- kinaesthesia
- kinase
- kinchin
- kindergartner
- kindle
- kinematic pair
- kinematics
- kinesthesia
- kinetograph