kin
gb/kˈɪn/ us/kˈɪn/
B2
English
~ 5800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
family members and relatives
Your family members and other relatives.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s kin
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *my kins* to mean 'my relatives'. In modern English, 'kin' is usually used without an -s and often in phrases like 'my kin', 'close kin', or 'next of kin'.
Synonyms
relatives (Most common everyday word; includes family members by blood or marriage.)
|
family (Broader and more emotional; can include people who are not legally related.)
Antonyms
strangers (People with no family connection or prior relationship.)
|
outsiders (People who are not part of a family or close group.)
Collocations
next of kin
|close kin
|near kin
|blood kin
|friends and kin
|surviving kin
Themes
family
|relationships
|law
|society
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She has no close kin in this country.
- The police are trying to contact the victim's next of kin.
- His estate will be divided among his surviving kin.
- Only her nearest kin were invited to the small ceremony.
- The hospital must inform the patient's kin before releasing any details.
Learner examples
- All of my kin live in this town.
- After the fire, the man called his kin for help.
- The money will go to his kin when he dies.
- The letter was sent to the soldier's kin.
- Her kin came together for the holiday.
Noun
literary
C1
entity
2
people or creatures of same kind
People, animals, or things that are like another one because they are the same kind or group.
Usage pattern:
[something] and its/their kin
Synonyms
kindred (More formal/literary; often used for people with a similar nature or background.)
|
peers (Focuses on equal status or level rather than shared nature or species.)
Antonyms
outsiders (Those not belonging to the same kind or group.)
|
others (A broad term for people or things that are not of the same kind.)
Collocations
their wild kin
|animal kin
|human kin
|artistic kin
|literary kin
Themes
nature
|society
|classification
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The domestic cat is smaller than most of its wild kin.
- He felt more at ease among his artistic kin than at corporate events.
- These birds, unlike their forest kin, have adapted well to city life.
- Humans share a surprising amount of DNA with their primate kin.
- She studied wolves and their dog kin for many years.
Learner examples
- Wolves and dogs are kin in the animal world.
- He enjoys spending time with his musical kin.
- These plants and their wild kin grow in the same area.
- The story connects this hero with his mythic kin.
- These small cats are kin to lions and tigers.
adjective
literary
C1
property
3
related by blood to someone
Being part of the same family by blood.
Usage pattern:
kin to [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners more often use 'related to' and may not recognize 'kin' as an adjective. In modern English, this adjective use is literary or old-fashioned and appears mostly in fixed phrases like 'kin to'.
Synonyms
related (More common and neutral; can be used for both family and logical connections.)
Antonyms
unrelated (Shows there is no family connection between people.)
Collocations
kin to
|near kin to
|close kin to
Themes
family
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She is kin to the royal family through her mother.
- They are kin to each other on their father's side.
- Though distant, he is still kin to the landowner.
- Many people in the small village are kin to one another.
- He claimed to be kin to the famous poet.
Learner examples
- He is kin to my father.
- Most of the people in this town are kin to us.
- She says she is kin to that movie star.
- We are not kin to them at all.
- Is he kin to your husband?
Verb
slang
C1
action
4
identify with a fictional character
To feel that a character in a story is very much like you, in a strong and personal way.
Usage pattern:
to kin [a character]
Common mistake:
Learners may think this is a normal verb used in all situations. In fact, this use of 'kin' is internet slang, mostly used in fandom or identity communities and often not understood outside those groups.
Synonyms
relate to (More general and neutral; not limited to fandom identity and usually weaker than 'kin'.)
Antonyms
distance oneself from (Describes purposely not identifying with a character or person.)
Collocations
kin a character
|kin someone
|kin hard
|kin list
Themes
internet
|identity
|pop culture
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Examples
- I really kin that character because we have the same anxieties.
- Many teens online talk about which characters they kin the most.
- She said she used to kin him, but she doesn't feel that way anymore.
- People sometimes argue about whether it's okay to kin problematic characters.
- He posted a kin list to show which characters he relates to.
Learner examples
- On the internet, some people say they kin a character.
- She says she kin this hero because he is shy like her.
- My friend kin that anime boy very strongly.
- They talk about which characters they kin in the game.
- I do not kin any character from that show.
Noun
slang
C2
entity
5
character someone strongly identifies with
A character in a story that someone feels is very much like them and is important to their identity.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s kin
Common mistake:
Outside of specific online groups, most English speakers will not understand this use of 'kin'. Learners should not use it in normal conversation or writing.
Synonyms
comfort character (A more widely understood fandom term; focuses on emotional comfort, not always identity.)
Antonyms
non-kin (Used within the same communities for characters someone does not identify with.)
Collocations
main kin
|comfort kin
|kin list
|double someone's kin
Themes
internet
|identity
|pop culture
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Examples
- Levi is my main kin, but I have a few others.
- They argued online about whether it was okay to 'double' someone's kin.
- Her kin are mostly characters from older cartoons.
- He added a new character to his kin list after watching the show again.
- People often ask others to tag their kin in fan art posts.
Learner examples
- In some online groups, people talk about their kin.
- Her kin is a girl from a popular anime.
- He wrote that this hero is his main kin.
- They made a list of all their kin from games.
- Some fans will not share art of someone else's kin.
Grammar
Dictionary form
kin
IPA
GB/kˈɪn/
US/kˈɪn/
Syllables & stress
kin (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (kin)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: kin
Noun
- Base: kin
- Plural: kin
Word family
Core family
kinship
noun
Related words
kindred
adjective
kinfolk
noun
Advanced or less common
kinsman
noun
kinswoman
noun
Expressions
kith and kin
1/kˈɪθ ˈænd kˈɪn/
idiom
literary
friends and family together
All the people close to you, including both your family and your friends.
Examples
- They invited all their kith and kin to the wedding.
- He left his hometown and all his kith and kin behind.
- During the holidays, she likes to be surrounded by her kith and kin.
next of kin
1/nˈɛkst əv kˈɪn/
fixed phrase
closest living relative
Your closest living family member, such as your husband, wife, parent, or child, especially in legal or medical situations.
Examples
- Please write the name and phone number of your next of kin on this form.
- The airline contacted the next of kin after the accident.
- In many countries, your next of kin has the right to make medical decisions for you.