Meaning & use
kindred
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Similar in nature or character and so feeling naturally connected.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a kindred spirit.
Patterns
- a kindred spirit
- kindred souls
When we met, I knew she was a kindred spirit.
The two poets were kindred souls who loved wild places.
They share a kindred love of old maps.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Related by family, origin or kind.
Grammar: Used before a noun: kindred languages.
Patterns
- kindred languages
- kindred peoples
Dutch and German are kindred languages.
The scientists studied kindred species on neighboring islands.
The two kindred tribes shared a common legend.
nounpluralold-fashionedformal
A person's relatives, or a group of people with a shared ancestry.
Grammar: Plural in meaning, so it takes a plural verb: his kindred are far away.
Patterns
- kith and kindred
He left his kindred and sailed to a new land.
The old song gathers kindred from every valley.
The family kindred met each autumn at the lake.
Common combinations
- kindred spirit
- She found a kindred spirit in her new neighbor.
- kindred souls
- The two writers were kindred souls.
- kindred languages
- Spanish and Portuguese are kindred languages.
- feel a kindred bond
- I feel a kindred bond with other long-distance runners.
- kindred feeling
- He felt a kindred feeling toward the stranger.
Synonyms and how they differ
- similar
- Similar only says that two things are alike, whereas kindred adds a warm sense of natural closeness.
- related
- Related means connected by origin or family and is more neutral than kindred.
- like-minded
- Like-minded is plain and describes shared views, while kindred suggests a deeper bond of character.
- akin
- Akin is also formal and means similar in nature, but it is used after a verb: akin to.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: kindred or kindergarten? kindred or kind?
kindred vs kindergarten
Kindergarten is a school for young children and only shares the start of the word.
kindred vs kind
Kind as an adjective means gentle and generous, which is not the sense in kindred.
Practice
After talking for hours about their love of birdwatching, they realized they were ____ spirits.
Choose one answer.
Kindred spirits is the fixed phrase for people who share a natural bond. Kindled means set on fire, and kindly or kindest do not form the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kindred”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.