noun · informal

kindness

/ˈkaɪndnəs/KIND·ness

Band 5-6speakingtask1task2

the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate

Examples

Small acts of kindness can make a big difference to someone's day.

She thanked him for his kindness during a difficult time.

Kindness is often more effective than strict discipline in motivating students.

Band 8 sentence

While policy can shape behaviour, genuine kindness often originates from local communities rather than top-down programmes.

Collocations

  • an act of kindness
  • show kindness to
  • repay someone's kindness

Word family

kind adjectivekindly adverbkindness noun

Common mistakes

be kindnessbe kind / show kindness

a kind actionan act of kindness

Say it for a higher band

5nice6helpfulness7+kindness

Synonyms

generosity

compassion

Easily confused

generosity

Her generosity was clear when she donated half her savings to the charity.

Related words

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In -ness

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