What does "kin" mean?

1. (family and relatives) your family and the people you are related to by blood. 2. (a character you identify with) a fictional character or person that you feel is exactly like you. 3. (to identify with a character) to feel a very strong connection to a character or to feel that you are like them. 4. (related or similar) related to someone or very similar to something else.

kin — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01family and relatives

B2 · Upper Intermediate Plural noun Formal

n. your family and the people you are related to by blood.

n. one's family or relations collectively; often used in legal or formal contexts regarding inheritance or notification.

“The hospital staff asked for the name of her next of kin in case of an emergency.”

“Under the current inheritance laws, the estate passes directly to the deceased's nearest kin if no valid will is found.”

Synonyms

relatives family kindred

Antonyms

strangers

02a character you identify with

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Slang · Informal

n. a fictional character or person that you feel is exactly like you.

n. a character or persona with whom an individual identifies deeply or spiritually, often within online fandom communities.

“That grumpy cat in the cartoon is definitely my kin.”

“In many online spaces, users list their kins in their profiles to help others understand their personality and aesthetic preferences.”

Synonyms

persona double

03to identify with a character

C1 · Advanced Slang · Informal

v. to feel a very strong connection to a character or to feel that you are like them.

v. to identify strongly with a fictional character or real person, often to the point of seeing them as a reflection of one's own identity.

“I kin the main character of this book because we both love quiet libraries.”

“The trend of kinning characters has become a significant way for younger audiences to explore their own identities through media.”

Synonyms

identify relate

04related or similar

C2 · Proficiency Literary

adj. related to someone or very similar to something else.

adj. related by blood or having a similar nature or character; often used in the phrase 'kin to'.

“The two languages are kin to each other and share many of the same words.”

“His artistic style was kin to the Impressionists, though he worked nearly a century after the movement had peaked.”

Synonyms

akin related similar

Antonyms

different unrelated

“The age and identity of the woman were not immediately released pending notification of next of kin.”

Toronto Sun 17 Aug 2026

“His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.”

The Guardian 14 Aug 2026

From Middle English kyn, from Old English cynn (“kind, sort, rank”), from Proto-West Germanic kuni, from Proto-Germanic kunją (“race, generation, descent”), from Proto-Indo-European ǵn̥h₁yom, from ǵenh₁- (“to produce”). Cognate with Scots kin (“relatives, kinfolk”), North Frisian kinn, kenn (“gender, race, family, kinship”), Dutch kunne (“gender, sex”), Middle Low German kunne (“gender, sex, race, family, lineage”), Danish køn (“gender, sex”), Swedish kön (“gender, sex”), Icelandic kyn (“gender”), Finnish kunnia (“honour, glory”), Ingrian kunnia (“reputation”), and through Indo-European, with Latin genus (“kind, sort, ancestry, birth”), Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “kind, race”), Sanskrit जनस् (jánas, “kind, race”), Albanian dhen (“(herd of) small cattle”).