kind

The word "kind" has a few different meanings. In the examples below, "kind" is used as an adjective to mean nice or a person is considerate of others.

• The kind man donated his car to charity.
• The people who live across the street are very kind. They help their neighbors whenever they need help.
• A kind police officer helped us when our car went off the road.
• That was very kind of you. Thank-you.

"Kind" is also a noun. The sentences below show that you can use "kind" when describing categories or types:

• What kind of ice cream do you want, vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry?
• Gary is looking for a different kind of career. He’s tired of what he does now for a living.
• She’s the kind of person you can depend on.
• How many different kinds of ethnic groups are there in the United States?
• That’s the wrong kind of clothing for this weather. You need to wear something warmer.
• I bought the wrong kind of nails at the hardware store. Now I have to go back and get the right kind.
• What kind of weather do you like?
• He’s holding four of a kind. (This is a term used when playing poker. The suits of four cards match.)

four of a kind

Add "of" to "kind" to form the idiom "kind of." This means a little, sort of, or in some way.

• I feel kind of tired this morning. (I feel a little tired.)
• Jan looks kind of sick. (She looks a little sick.)
• That test was kind of difficult. (It was sort of difficult.)

The word "kind" is also added to the words "human" or "man" when talking about the evolution of humans or all humans around the world, past and present:

• Humankind should learn lessons from its past.
• The origin of mankind is an interesting thing to study.

Note: The word "kindly" is an adverb often used when making requests:

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This page was first published on December 11, 2012. It was updated on September 12, 2015.