kindness

kindness — noun

1. The quality of treating other people with warmth, care, and generosity, especial

1.nounB1
Definition

The quality of treating other people with warmth, care, and generosity, especially when they are in need or having a difficult time.

Example

Élise showed great kindness by visiting her elderly neighbour every morning.

collocation: show kindness

The nurse's kindness helped the frightened child feel safe in the hospital.

Common collocations
  • show kindness
  • kindness to/toward someone
  • out of kindness
  • with kindness
  • human kindness
  • treat someone with kindness
  • great kindness
  • genuine kindness
Synonyms
  • compassion

    emphasises feeling pity and wanting to relieve suffering, stronger emotional colour

  • warmth

    focuses on friendliness and affection in personal interaction

  • generosity

    stresses willingness to give time, money, or help freely

  • benevolence

    more formal; describes an organised or habitual desire to do good

Antonyms
  • cruelty

    the deliberate causing of pain or suffering, opposite in intent

  • unkindness

    the direct opposite; lack of care or consideration

Grammar Patterns

kindness to/toward someone

out of kindness

with kindness

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when referring to the quality as a general personal trait. The plural form 'kindnesses' belongs to sense 2 (countable actions).

Common Mistakes

I was touched by his kindnesses.
I was touched by his kindness.
When referring to the general quality, use the uncountable form. 'Kindnesses' means individual kind acts (sense 2).

2. A helpful or generous thing that you do for another person, often small in scale

2.nounB1
Definition

A helpful or generous thing that you do for another person, often small in scale but meaningful to the person who receives it.

Example

Layla did many small kindnesses for her coworkers, like making tea for them.

countable: did kindnesses

One kindness Dario remembers is a stranger paying for his bus fare.

countable: one kindness (pattern: a kindness is…)

Common collocations
  • do someone a kindness
  • show someone a kindness
  • small kindness
  • act of kindness
  • a kindness to someone
  • great kindness
  • countless kindnesses
Synonyms
  • favour

    more common in British English; a kind act done for someone you know

  • good deed

    emphasises the moral worth of the action

  • good turn

    informal British idiom; a small helpful act between friends

Antonyms
  • unkindness

    a mean or hurtful act, the direct opposite

  • spite

    an act intended to annoy or hurt someone

Grammar Patterns

do someone a kindness

a kindness to someone

Usage Note

Countable — you can say 'a kindness' or 'kindnesses' when referring to specific acts. A determiner (a, the, one, many, etc.) or modifier (small, great) almost always precedes it — 'kindness' alone without a determiner signals sense 1.

Common Mistakes

She did me a kindness.' (without specifying what).
She did me a kindness by driving me to the station.
When using 'a kindness,' give a concrete description of the act so the reader knows what happened.
Idioms

kill somebody/something with kindness

idiom

To treat someone or something so nicely that it actually causes harm.

Sara killed her puppy with kindness by giving it too many treats.

Did Diego kill the plant with kindness by watering it every day?

the milk of human kindness

idiom

The natural tendency to be kind and caring toward others.

Maya showed the milk of human kindness when she helped the lost child.

Brian's milk of human kindness made him volunteer at the shelter.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four words describe positive traits, they differ in focus. 'Kindness' is the broadest term — it covers everyday considerate behaviour toward others. 'Compassion' adds a sense of shared suffering: you feel compassion when someone is in pain, not just when they need a favour. 'Warmth' is about the emotional tone of an interaction — a warm person makes others feel liked and accepted. 'Generosity' highlights giving — time, money, or effort — without expecting anything back. 'Benevolence' is more formal and often describes an institutional or philosophical desire to do good (e.g., 'the benevolence of a charity'). In daily conversation, kindness and warmth overlap most closely: you might say 'She received us with kindness and warmth' to combine both the helpful actions and the friendly feeling.

compassion ↗warmth ↗generosity ↗benevolence

Common collocations

Nouns

  • act of kindness
  • gesture of kindness
  • word of kindness
  • deed of kindness

Adverbs

  • genuine kindness
  • simple kindness
  • great kindness
  • unexpected kindness

Phrases

Prepositions

  • kindness to/toward
  • kindness of
  • out of kindness
  • with kindness

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'kindness' comes from Old English 'cyndnes', which meant 'nature, natural feeling, or kinship'. It was formed from 'cynd' (meaning 'nature, kind, race') plus the suffix '-nes' (modern '-ness'). The original idea was 'the quality of being natural or fitting toward one's own family group'. Over time, the meaning broadened from family loyalty to a general good nature and warm disposition toward all people.