of a kind
Idioms-
Of some sort, but not a typical or perfect specimen. For example, They have a backyard of a kind, but it's tiny . This usage was first recorded in 1895. For a synonym, see of sorts .
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one of a kind . A unique instance, as in There are no others like it; this hybrid daylily is one of a kind , or She's extremely generous, one of a kind . Also see two of a kind .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Virtually nothing” for the latest project will be first of a kind, said Mike Laufer, CEO of Kairos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
But the chips make use of a kind of superfast memory that has limited capacity, meaning that lots of racks would be needed.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026
And I think that was not just the beginning of loving baseball, but it was the beginning of a kind of reportorial curiosity: I want to know.
From Salon • Nov. 3, 2025
This new environment favors the Orthodox, pioneers of a kind of “self-segregation,” notes writer Joseph Epstein in the Wall Street Journal.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
It was critical now, Olmsted argued, to concentrate on making improvements of a kind most likely to increase the gleam in the stories people took back to their hometowns.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.