kind of (adjective/adverb)
"Kind of" means "a little" or "somewhat". People often use it in spoken English:
It kind of took me by surprise.
You can use "kind of" before an adjective ("kind of shy") or before a verb ("kind of took me by surprise").
Another phrase with a similar meaning is "somewhat":
Most students find that university courses are somewhat more difficult than the classes that they took in high school.
"Somewhat" is more formal. Use "kind of" for most situations and "somewhat" when discussing academic topics or in writing.
The pronunciation of "kind of" sounds like "kinda".
This phrase appears in these lessons:
- “I have to say — I was kind of disappointed.”
- “I was going for something abstract and kind of edgy.”
- “He has a reputation for being kind of eccentric.”
- “My old one's kind of worn-out-looking.”
- “I'm kind of shy when it comes to the opposite sex.”
- “Sorry, I've kind of been in my own little world lately.”
- “It's kind of hit-or-miss.”
- “I was kind of disappointed with how they turned out, to be honest.”
- “He has a kind of solid build, right?”
- “Don't you think she has your, kind of, pointy ears?”
- “I don't really want to go, but I feel kind of obligated.”
- “When she said that, it kind of threw me off.”
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