Homo sapiens

American  

[hoh-moh sey-pee-uhnz] / ˈhoʊ moʊ ˈseɪ pi ənz /

noun

1. the species of bipedal primates to which modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens ) belong, characterized by a large brain, a nearly vertical forehead, a skeletal build lighter and teeth smaller than earlier humans, and dependence upon language and the creation and utilization of complex tools: the species has existed for about 200,000 years.

2. humankind.

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Homo sapiens British  

/ ˈsæpɪˌɛnz /

noun

1. the specific name of modern man; the only extant species of the genus Homo. This species also includes extinct types of primitive man such as Cro-Magnon man See also man

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Homo sapiens Scientific  

/ sā′pē-ənz /

1. The modern species of humans. Archaic forms of Homo sapiens probably evolved around 300,000 years ago or earlier in Africa, and anatomically modern fossils are known from about 100,000 years ago. All humans now living belong to the subspecies Homo sapiens sapiens. The closest living relative of Homo sapiens is the chimpanzee.

2. See more at archaic Homo sapiens Cro-Magnon Neanderthal

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Homo sapiens Cultural  

1. The biological classification of modern humans. Homo sapiens is Latin for “the wise human” or “the clever human.” The earliest Homo sapiens was Neanderthal, who developed about 150,000 years ago. Sometimes modern humans are further classified into the subspecies of Homo sapiens neanderthalis (Neanderthals) and Homo sapiens sapiens (Cro-Magnons and present-day humans). (See Linnean classification.)

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Etymology

Origin of Homo sapiens

First recorded in 1770–75; from New Latin: literally, “rational man”; see origin at Homo ( def. ), sapient ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does homo-sapiens compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Homo sapiens vs. Homo sapiens sapiens

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, modern Homo sapiens have existed for only 300,000 years, and what are the odds we make it even another millennium?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Nominally the case turned on OpenAI’s conversion to a for-profit company and Mr. Musk’s worries about Homo sapiens being displaced by superintelligent robots.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

In recent decades, many biologists and anthropologists have come to view Homo sapiens as what’s called a “cooperative breeder.”

From Slate • May 10, 2026

"In western areas, the arrival of Homo sapiens may have added further stress, especially for Neanderthal populations that were already demographically vulnerable," said Burke.

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

These may have been the base from which Homo sapiens launched its first transoceanic enterprise: the invasion of Australia.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari