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Meaning & use

kinsman

noun·Advancedold-fashionedliterary

Last updated

UK/ˈkɪnzmən/
US/ˈkɪnzmən/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A man who belongs to the same family as you, especially one related by blood rather than marriage.

    Grammar: Countable noun: you can say a kinsman, two kinsmen, or my kinsman.

    Patterns

    • a kinsman of someone
    • someone's kinsman

    He came to the city to find work and to look up an old kinsman of his mother's.

    In the story, the hero is helped by a distant kinsman who recognizes his name.

    The will left a small sum to each kinsman who could prove a blood relationship.

  2. nouncountableformal

    A man from the same clan, tribe, or ethnic group as you, not necessarily a close relative.

    Grammar: Usually used in historical, literary, or anthropological writing; in everyday speech people say 'one of his people' or 'a member of his tribe'.

    Patterns

    • a kinsman of someone
    • someone's kinsman

    The chief was surrounded by kinsmen who had sworn to protect him.

    Anthropologists noted that a man was expected to help any kinsman in need.

    He was buried among his kinsmen in the old tribal cemetery.

Word forms

pluralkinsmen

Common combinations

a distant kinsman
A distant kinsman wrote to him out of the blue.
a close kinsman
Only a close kinsman was allowed into the room.
kinsman of the king
He claimed to be a kinsman of the king.
blood kinsman
By law, a blood kinsman could inherit the land.

Synonyms and how they differ

relative
The everyday, neutral word for a family member; use it instead of 'kinsman' in ordinary conversation.
relation
Similar to 'relative' but slightly more formal; it does not specify male or female.
kin
A collective word for your family or people; it is not used for one man on his own.

Word family

kinswoman noun
The female equivalent: a woman of the same family or people.
kinship noun
The state of being related, or a feeling of closeness between people.
kin noun
Your family and relatives as a group.

Commonly confused: kinsman or kingman? kinsman or kinsmen?

kinsman vs kingman

Not a common English word; do not confuse the spelling with 'kinsman'.

kinsman vs kinsmen

This is just the plural of 'kinsman'; use 'kinsman' for one man.

Practice

In the old chronicle, the earl was supported by a loyal ___ from his mother's family.

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