1
: of a similar nature or character : like
a kindred spirit
2
: of the same ancestry
kindred tribes
1
a
: a group of related individuals
b
: one's relatives
… if his kindred still remain to him …—
Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis de Tocqueville2
: family relationship : kinship
Did you know?
Family—both ancestral and in spirit—is what puts the “kin” in kindred. This word comes from the Old English noun for “kinship,” cynrǣden, which combines cynn (meaning “kin”) and ræden, meaning “condition.” Kindred first entered English as a noun during the Middle Ages. That noun, which can refer to a group of related individuals or to one's own relatives, gave rise to the adjective kindred in the 14th century. Other words akin to kin include kinfolk (and kinsfolk), kinship, kinsman, and kinswoman.
Examples of kindred in a Sentence
Adjective
philosophy, political theory, and kindred topics
I believe she and I are kindred spirits.
German and English are kindred languages.
Noun
He went out to sea, and never saw his kindred again.
the kingdom's royal kindred actually numbers in the thousands
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Jason Martin Tanya Pérez Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
The record will appear on his debut album Order Chaos Order, out June 13, which emerged from a kindred dichotomy.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
Kyle Thomas, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025
The French researchers, working with another team in Montreal, Canada, identified a specific problem mutation in this kindred.
—Markham Heid, Time, 6 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for kindred
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Adjective
Trump’s policies and rhetoric seem aimed at nothing less than turning America’s dark double into its kindred soul.
—Eric Jason Martin Tanya Pérez Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
The record will appear on his debut album Order Chaos Order, out June 13, which emerged from a kindred dichotomy.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
Connecting with your kindred will be magnificent now.
—Kyle Thomas, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025
The French researchers, working with another team in Montreal, Canada, identified a specific problem mutation in this kindred.
—Markham Heid, Time, 6 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for kindred
Cite this Entry
“Kindred.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kindred. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kindred
1 of 2 noun
kin·dred
ˈkin-drəd 
1
: a group of related individuals
2
: a person's relatives
kindred
2 of 2 adjective
: alike in nature or character
a kindred spirit
Medical Definition
kindred
noun
kin·dred
ˈkin-drəd
: a group of related individuals : a genealogical group
incidence of cancer among members of a kindred
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