kindness

English

Alternative forms

• kindenesse (obsolete)
• kindnesse (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English kyndenesse, equivalent to kind +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaɪnd.nəs/, /ˈkaɪnd.nɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪndnəs

Noun

kindness (usually uncountable, plural kindnesses)

1. The state of being kind.

   Jamie's kindness is legendary, so much that people have taken advantage of her.

   • 2025 April 28, Madeline Holcombe, “It might be time to ‘reparent’ yourself. Here’s how to get started”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     If attending to your childhood wounds and responding with kindness feels selfish, it is important to remember that compassion for oneself often makes people more compassionate to others, Lev said.

2. An instance of kind or charitable behaviour.

   How can I thank you for your many kindnesses?

   Do me a kindness and leave.

   i'm going to turn a blind eye to this misdemeanour, out of the kindness of my heart.

   • 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 8, page 232:

     They are grateful for kindnesses that they may have received.

Derived terms

• diskindness
• kill with kindness
• lovingkindness
• milk of human kindness
• nonkindness
• random act of kindness

Translations

being kind

• Arabic: إِحْسَان (ar) m (ʔiḥsān)
• Aromanian: bunãtati f
• Belarusian: дабрата́ f (dabratá)
• Catalan: bondat (ca) f, cortesia (ca) f, gentilesa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 恩惠 (zh) (ēnhuì)

• Cornish: kuvder m
• Czech: laskavost (cs) f
• Danish: venlighed (da), velvilje, imødekommenhed, elskværdighed, godhed
• Esperanto: amindeco, afableco
• Finnish: kiltteys (fi), ystävällisyys (fi)
• French: bonté (fr) f

  Old French: dolçor

• Friulian: dolçôr m, bontât f
• Galician: bondade (gl) f, amabilidade (gl) f
• Georgian: სიკეთე (siḳete), გულკეთილობა (gulḳetiloba)
• German: Liebenswürdigkeit (de) f
• Gothic: 𐍃𐌴𐌻𐌴𐌹 f (sēlei)
• Greek: καλοσύνη (el) f (kalosýni)

  Ancient Greek: εὐμένεια f (euméneia)

• Hindi: दया (hi) (dayā), दयालुता (hi) f (dayālutā)
• Hungarian: kedvesség (hu)
• Irish: cineáltas m
• Isoko: uvbovbou
• Italian: bontà (it), gentilezza (it), cortesia (it) f, garbo (it) m
• Japanese: 親切 (ja) (しんせつ, shinsetsu), 優しさ (ja) (やさしさ, yasashisa)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 친절 (ko) (chinjeol)
• Latin: bonitas f, caritas f
• Malayalam: ദയ (ml) (daya), ഐന്തൽ (ml) (aintal), അനുകമ്പ (ml) (anukampa)
• Manx: foayr m
• Māori: tauwhirotanga
• Marathi: दया f (dayā)
• Marshallese: jouj
• Middle English: kyndenesse, benignite
• Polish: życzliwość (pl) f, dobroć (pl) f, łaskawość (pl) f, benewolencja f (archaic), przychylność (pl) f
• Portuguese: gentileza (pt) f
• Romanian: bunătate (ro), amabilitate (ro) f, bunăvoință (ro) f
• Russian: доброта́ (ru) f (dobrotá), любе́зность (ru) f (ljubéznostʹ), доброжела́тельность (ru) f (dobroželátelʹnostʹ)
• Sanskrit: कृपा (sa) f (kṛpā), दया (sa) (dayā)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: љубазност, доброта, човекољубље

  Latin: ljubaznost (sh), dobrota (sh), milosrđe (sh), čovekoljublje

• Slovak: láskavosť f
• Spanish: amabilidad (es) f, bondad (es) f
• Tagalog: buti
• Tamil: அன்பு (ta) (aṉpu)
• Telugu: దయ (te) (daya)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tonga (Zambia): luse
• Turkish: incelik (tr), kibarlık (tr), naziklik (tr)
• Ukrainian: доброта́ f (dobrotá)
• Vietnamese: lòng tốt
• Welsh: caredigrwydd (cy) m
• Zulu: umusa (zu)

instance of charitable behavior

• Catalan: bondat (ca) f
• Czech: laskavost (cs) f
• Danish: venlighed (da), tjeneste (da)
• Dutch: vriendelijkheid (nl) f, aardigheid (nl) f
• Finnish: palvelus (fi)
• Galician: favor (gl) m
• Georgian: სიკეთე (siḳete), გულკეთილობა (gulḳetiloba)
• Greek: καλοσύνη (el) f (kalosýni)
• Hindi: दया (hi) f (dayā)
• Irish: cineáltas m
• Italian: bontà (it), favore (it), piacere (it), gentilezza (it) f
• Latin: venia f
• Malayalam: ദയവ് (dayavŭ),
• Middle English: kyndenesse, benignite
• Portuguese: caridade (pt)
• Russian: доброта́ (ru) f (dobrotá)
• Sanskrit: राधस् (sa) n (rādhas)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: милосрђе, доброта

  Latin: milosrdje, dobrota (sh)

• Telugu: దయ (te) (daya)
• Turkish: incelik (tr), kibarlık (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: مساعده (müsâʼade), منت (minnet)

• Welsh: caredigrwydd (cy) m