Meanings
akin1
comparative more akin · superlative most akin · alternative obsolete a kin · alternative obsolete a-kin
- Of persons, of the same kin; related by blood.
[W]e are too near a kin to lye together, tho' vve may Lodge near one another; […]
1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, page 1371 more example
The faces changed, passing in rotation. Youthful faces, bearded faces, dark faces: faces serene, or faces moody, but all akin with the brotherhood of the sea.
1897, Joseph Conrad, The Children of the Sea: A Tale of the Forecastle, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, →OCLC - Allied by nature; similar; partaking of the same properties; of the same kind.
Is not then Fruition near akin to Love?
1677, Theophilus Gale, The Court of the Gentiles, T. Cockeril, part 4, bk. 1, ch. 2, p. 275 more examples
She told me that she hoped my Face was not akin to my Tongue.
1710 March 19 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “WEDNESDAY, March 9, 1709–1710. To the Spectator, &c..”, in The Spectator, number 8; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 39Mr. Winkle . . . took his hand with a feeling of regard, akin to veneration.
1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter XXXIX, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLCSomething akin to a smile shone on his face.
1910 July, Zane Grey, “Old Well-Well”, in SuccessI'll be interested to see how this service does. It will be basic with fares to match, so will be akin to a budget airline taking on a flag-carrier.
2021 June 30, Philip Haigh, “Regional trains squeezed as ECML congestion heads north”, in RAIL, number 934, page 52After all, that would be akin to a self-coup. Apart from the traditional vision of a coup requiring a military takeover of the government, self-coups occur when governments depart from typical norms of democracy by altering election laws, calling into question election results or seeking to suspend their constitutions in order to stay in power.
2022 January 19, Robert Alexander, “What 2020’s pro-Trump phony electors means for 2024”, in CNN, archived from the original on 16 Aug 2022
present singular third person akins · participle present akinning · participle past akinned · past akinned · alternative obsolete a kin · alternative obsolete a-kin
Akin2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiverelated by blood
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishof kyn“related, of kin”
- Englishakin
From a corruption of of kin, from Middle English of kyn (“related, of kin”), equivalent to a- + kin (1550s). Compare Old English cyn, cynn (“akin, proper, suitable”, adj.).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian имащ кръвно родство, сроден
- имащ кръвно родство (imašt krăvno rodstvo)of the same kin; related by blood
- сроден (sroden)of the same kind; similar
- близък (blizăk)of the same kind; similar
Catalan semblant
- semblantof the same kind; similar
Chinese Mandarin 与(……)相似
- 与(……)相似of the same kind; similar
Czech příbuzný, pokrevní
- příbuznýof the same kin; related by blood
- pokrevníof the same kin; related by blood
- podobnýof the same kind; similar
- blízkýof the same kind; similar
- srovnatelnýof the same kind; similar
Dutch verwant, gelijkaardig
- verwantof the same kin; related by blood
- gelijkaardigof the same kind; similar
- verwantof the same kind; similar
Esperanto simila, rilata
- similaof the same kind; similar
- rilataof the same kind; similar
Finnish sukua, kaltainen
- sukuaof the same kin; related by blood
- kaltainenof the same kind; similar
- lainenof the same kind; similar
French apparenté, analogue
- apparentéof the same kin; related by blood
- analogueof the same kind; similar
German verwandt, ähnlich
- verwandtof the same kin; related by blood
- ähnlichof the same kind; similar
- analogof the same kind; similar
Hungarian hasonló, rokon
- hasonlóof the same kind; similar
- rokonof the same kind; similar
- analógof the same kind; similar
Italian consanguineo, affine
- consanguineoof the same kin; related by blood
- affineof the same kind; similar
Polish spokrewniony, pokrewny
- spokrewnionyof the same kin; related by blood
- pokrewnyof the same kind; similar
- zbliżonyof the same kind; similar
Portuguese semelhante, semelhante
- semelhanteof the same kin; related by blood
- semelhanteof the same kind; similar
Russian ро́дственный, сродни́
- ро́дственный (ródstvennyj)of the same kin; related by blood
- сродни́ (srodní)of the same kind; similar
- подо́бный (podóbnyj)of the same kind; similar
Slovak príbuzný, pokrvný
- príbuznýof the same kin; related by blood
- pokrvnýof the same kin; related by blood
- podobnýof the same kind; similar
- príbuznýof the same kind; similar
- taký ako ...of the same kind; similar
Spanish emparentado, consanguíneo
- emparentadoof the same kin; related by blood
- consanguíneoof the same kin; related by blood
- parienteof the same kin; related by blood
- semejanteof the same kind; similar
- similarof the same kind; similar
- análogoof the same kind; similar
- parejoof the same kind; similar
- pintiparadoof the same kind; similar
- afínof the same kind; similar
Ukrainian споріднений, подібний
- споріднений (sporidnenyj)of the same kin; related by blood
- подібний (podibnyj)of the same kind; similar
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with akin
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
akin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/akin
“akin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/akin. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “akin,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/akin.
Source: akin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.