human

American  

[hyoo-muhn, yoo‑] / ˈhju mən, ˈju‑ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, characteristic of, or having the nature of people.

   human frailty.

2. consisting of people.

   the human race.

3. of or relating to the social aspect of people.

   human affairs.

4. sympathetic; humane.

   a warmly human understanding.

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noun

humans plural

1. a human being.

human British  

/ ˈhjuːmən /

adjective

1. of, characterizing, or relating to man and mankind

   human nature

2. consisting of people

   the human race

   a human chain

3. having the attributes of man as opposed to animals, divine beings, or machines

   human failings

4. 1. kind or considerate

   2. natural

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noun

1. a human being; person

human Scientific  

/ hyo̅o̅′mən /

1. A member of the species Homo sapiens; a human being.

2. A member of any of the extinct species of the genus Homo, such as Homo erectus or Homo habilis, that are considered ancestral or closely related to modern humans.

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human Idioms  

1. see milk of human kindness.

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Pronunciation

Pronunciations of words like human, huge, etc., with the initial deleted: , , while sometimes criticized, are heard from speakers at all social and educational levels, including professors, lawyers, and other public speakers.

Synonym Usage

Human, humane may refer to that which is, or should be, characteristic of human beings. In thus describing characteristics, human may refer to good and bad traits of a person alike ( human kindness; human weakness ). When emphasis is placed upon the latter, human is thought of as contrasted to divine: To err is human, to forgive divine. He was only human. Humane (the original spelling of human, and since 1700 restricted in meaning) takes into account only the nobler or gentler aspects of people and is often contrasted to their more ignoble or brutish aspect. A humane person is benevolent in treating fellow humans or helpless animals; the word once had also connotations of courtesy and refinement (hence, the application of humane to those branches of learning intended to refine the mind).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• humanness
  noun
• half-human
  adjective
• human-like
  adjective
• humanlike
  adjective
• interhuman
  adjective
• overhuman
  adjective
• pseudohuman
  adjective
• quasi-human
  adjective
• transhuman
  adjective
• ultrahuman
  adjective
• unhuman
  adjective
• quasi-humanly
  adverb
• unhumanly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• humans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of human

First recorded in 1350–1400; earlier humain(e), humayn(e), Middle English, from Middle French humain, from Latin hūmānus, akin to homō “human being”; cf. Homo ( def. ); spelling human predominant from early 18th century

Explanation

Unlike a pickle or a chipmunk, a human is a person. You can identify a human by the two legs it stands on, its upright stature, its high intelligence, and its speech that you'll understand if you're one, too. Human was first recorded in the mid 13th century, and owes its existence to the Middle French humain “of or belonging to man.” That word, in turn, comes from the Latin humanus, thought to be a hybrid relative of homo, meaning “man,” and humus, meaning “earth.”

Example Sentences

Blockchain analytics firms use public data, human sources and analytical indicators to map out wallets, though their findings can vary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

“On a typical day,” one court filing said, El Chapo “has no contact with a single other human being who shares a language in which they can communicate.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

The entire point was to legally establish who was once three-fifths human as a whole and fully recognized American citizen.

From Salon • Jun. 25, 2026

However, human rights organisations have rejected the compensation plan, citing the exclusion of some victims, inadequate pay-outs and a lack of transparency.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Like becoming a true human—a human before we became cluttered by civilization.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• body
• character
• child
• creature
• individual
• life
• mortal