human being
Americannoun
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any individual of the genus Homo, especially a member of the species Homo sapiens.
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a person, especially as distinguished from other animals or as representing the human species.
living conditions not fit for human beings; a very generous human being.
noun
Etymology
Origin of human being
First recorded in 1855–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Thanks to “Cosmic Music,” anyone interested in her life and work doesn’t have to go comb through microfilm or ancient magazines to learn more about this unbelievably accomplished and completely fascinating human being.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
In its primordial form, liberalism was a political belief that the building block of society is the individual—an idea tethered loosely to the Christian notion that every single human being contains a divine spark.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
“I told him from Day 1 that we started hanging out back in ‘06, ‘07, somewhere in there, that I’m pulling for him as a human being — forget his golf.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
One thing he doesn’t get credit for is he’s a really decent human being.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
For a general-store clerk, Uncle Holt read more than any human being I knew.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.