What does kind mean?
Kind most commonly means generous, caring, and considerate toward other people. It is a broad, everyday adjective that can describe a person's character, an action, or a gesture: a kind stranger, a kind reminder, and a kind word all suggest goodwill and thoughtfulness. Kind can also mean pleasant or agreeable, especially in expressions involving weather, treatment, or surroundings. As a noun, it means a category or type, as when something is described as a kind of music, a kind of puzzle, or the best kind of friend. In informal speech, kind can also mean approximately or somewhat, particularly when used as a softened qualifier. The word has a positive, reassuring tone and is common in both British and American English. Its history is unusually broad: it originally referred to nature, birth, or type before developing its modern association with generosity and compassion.
Generous, caring, and considerate toward others; showing kindness and goodwill. It can also mean pleasant, agreeable, or suitable in certain contexts.
"The guide was kind and patient with everyone in the group."
The adjective is warm and broadly positive. In formal prose, a more precise adjective may sometimes be preferable.
A category or type of thing; also, a group of people regarded as sharing particular qualities.
"The exhibition features a kind of architecture that was especially common in the nineteenth century."
The noun is commonly used with an indefinite article and can be countable or uncountable depending on the intended sense.
Somewhat; approximately, in informal usage.
"The instructions are kind of confusing, so read them twice."
This use is especially associated with informal speech and may sound casual, tentative, or imprecise.
The standard plural is kinds. In expressions such as a kind of and many kinds of, the singular form is used before a noun.
"The shop sells several kinds of tea."
The word kind once referred primarily to a person's nature or birth; its familiar sense of generosity developed only later.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kind come from?
English kind descends from Old English gecynd, a Germanic word meaning nature, kind, or birth, and is related to kin. The word's early senses concerned a person's type, origin, or inherent quality. Over time, it came to denote the benevolent qualities associated with being good-natured, giving rise to the familiar modern meaning of generous or caring.
Related word forms
How kind is actually used
The adjective is warm and approving, often suggesting generosity and emotional sensitivity as well as ordinary helpfulness. As an informal adverbial modifier, it can sound casual or hesitant; formal writing usually benefits from a more precise alternative.
Easily confused with kind
Kind describes generous or caring behavior, whereas kin means one's relatives or family members.