I found this in this page -> https://www.quora.com/What-does-kind-of-mean ---------------------------------------- "Kind of" is an idiom allowing for nuances between the answers "yes" and "no." For example: "Is Quora a good site?" "Kind of." (Implies: yes it's good but not as good as it could be, or: ... but I like other sites better) Or: "I kind of had a good time." (Not bad, but it could have been better.) It can also be used to indicate vagueness. For example: "It's kind of like magic." (It's not exactly like magic; this is a vague analogy but it's the best I could think of.) When modified by "a" or "the" then the expression is no longer idiomatic. For example: "An assegai? It's a kind of spear." (It's a specific type of spear, with a long blade) "Daft Punk (band)? Now, that's the kind of music I like." (Specifies which type/kind of music out of alternatives.)

See definition and examples here: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kind%20of