kind of/sort of

kind of

Somewhat; sort of; a little. I'm happy that it's summertime, but I'm still kind of disappointed that school is over. A: "Are you feeling better?" B: "Kind of. My throat isn't sore anymore but I'm still congested."See also: kind, of

sort of

Somewhat; partially; a little. I'm happy that it's summertime, but I'm still sort of sad that school is over. A: "Are you feeling better?" B: "Sort of. My throat isn't sore anymore but I'm still congested."See also: of, sort

sort of something

 and kind of somethingalmost something; somewhat; somehow. Isn't it sort of cold out? That was kind of a stupid thing to do, wasn't it?See also: of, sort

sort of

 and kind ofYes, but only to a small degree. Bob: Do you like what you're doing in school? Alice: Kind of. Henry: What do you think about all these new laws? Do they worry you? John: Sort of.See also: of, sort

kind of

Also, sort of. Rather, somewhat, as in I'm kind of hungry, or The bird looked sort of like a sparrow. [Colloquial; c. 1800] This usage should not be confused with a kind of or a sort of, which are much older and refer to a borderline member of a given category (as in a kind of a shelter or a sort of a bluish color). Shakespeare had this usage in Two Gentlemen of Verona (3:1): "My master is a kind of a knave." Also see of a kind. See also: kind, of

ˈkind of/ˈsort of

(informal) used with adjectives, adverbs and verbs when something is difficult to describe or when the word you use is not exactly what you mean: She kind of smiled at me. ♢ My new dress is sort of green. ♢ He said it sort of nervously.These phrases are sometimes written or spoken as kinda or sorta.See also: kind, of, sort

kind of

Informal Rather; somewhat: I'm kind of hungry.See also: kind, of

sort of

Informal Somewhat; rather: "Gambling and prostitution ... have been prohibited, but only sort of" (George F. Will).See also: of, sort