humanitarian

American  

[hyoo-man-i-tair-ee-uhn, yoo-] / hjuˌmæn ɪˈtɛər i ən, ju- /

adjective

1. having concern for or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people.

2. of or relating to ethical or theological humanitarianism.

3. pertaining to the saving of human lives or to the alleviation of suffering.

   a humanitarian crisis.

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noun

• humanitarians
  plural

1. a person actively engaged in promoting human welfare and social reforms, as a philanthropist.

2. a person who professes ethical or theological humanitarianism.

humanitarian British  

/ hjuːˌmænɪˈtɛərɪən /

adjective

1. having the interests of mankind at heart

2. of or relating to ethical or theological humanitarianism

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noun

1. a philanthropist

2. an adherent of humanitarianism

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antihumanitarian
  adjective
• semihumanitarian
  adjective
• unhumanitarian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• humanitarians
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of humanitarian

First recorded in 1810–20; humanit(y) + -arian

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Explanation

Despite many jokes to the contrary, a humanitarian is not someone who eats humans (as a vegetarian eats vegetables)! A humanitarian is a person concerned with the welfare of all humankind. A millionaire would be considered a great humanitarian if he donated much of his wealth for improving education, housing, and food for the poor. As an adjective, humanitarian is used to describe something or someone who displays the characteristics of someone concerned with human welfare: "The humanitarian project was developed to help women become self-sufficient in third world countries."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

humanitarian humanitarians

A rare humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine's Kherson region, that has allowed civilians to evacuate the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, is due to end on Sunday night.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Around 2,000 residents, compared with 24,000 before the Russian invasion, were still in Oleshky ahead of the humanitarian operation, according to Kyiv's estimates.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

A humanitarian ceasefire took force across the frontline region of Kherson on Tuesday, providing the first few days of peace in the area in four years, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Hundreds of residents of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky were evacuated and driven to safety on Friday, following a humanitarian ceasefire brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The Director will be with them all day, smiling, glad-handing, and pretending life in the camp is somehow enviable, exceeding humanitarian requirements.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

He worked alongside activists and humanitarians , externalin Czechoslovakia to navigate complex political obstacles, such as getting children to Britain through the Netherlands, which had closed its borders to Jewish refugees.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

One project uses AI analysis of anonymised mobile phone data to spot mass-population movements during disasters, determining where people are fleeing, to help humanitarians better tailor their response.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

But thank God we have humanitarians like Jeff and Janine Yass who still believe in lifting them up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

The designation, humanitarians say, in effect outlaws aid deliveries to areas under Houthi control, where 70% of the population resides.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

In the strong vernacular of the West, this was "rather piling the agony" on the humanitarians, whose sympathies were not much quickened toward us thereby.

From Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War by Richard Taylor

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Related Words

• altruistic
• charitable
• humane
• philanthropic

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