human

[hyoo-muhn, yoo‑]

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.

noun

1. a human being.

human

/ 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

noun

1. a human being; person

human

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.

Pronunciation Note

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of human¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of human¹

C14: from Latin hūmānus; related to Latin homō man

Idioms and Phrases

see milk of human kindness.

Synonym Study

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).

Example Sentences

For decades, technology has been replacing human functions in recording, making it progressively easier—and cheaper—for amateurs to churn out commercial tracks, even if they’re not gifted singers or producers.

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Our work suggests that to encourage people to take that step, it’s helpful to first give them a chance to see others’ empathy and care, just by presenting truthful data about human kindness.

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Somewhere under all that, there’s a real person—a living, breathing human woman.

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He rarely displayed emotion; his marriage seemed successful but he showed few other traces of human warmth.

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If you remember the Predator stalking humans in the greatest sci-fi action film in history, you know how these cameras work.

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Related Words

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