Dictionary.com

human rights

See synonyms for human rights on Thesaurus.com

plural noun

fundamental rights, especially those believed to belong to an individual and in whose exercise a government may not interfere, as the rights to speak, associate, work, etc.

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.
Question 1 of 13
How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?
gato/gata
cato/cata
gatto/gatta
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of human rights

First recorded in 1785–95

Words nearby human rights

human papilloma virus, human placental lactogen, human plasma protein fraction, human relations, human resources, human rights, human safari, human services, human shield, human T-cell leukemia virus, human T-cell leukemia virus type III
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to human rights

civil rights, civil liberties, natural rights

Example sentences from the Web for human rights

British Dictionary definitions for human rights

human rights

pl n

the rights of individuals to liberty, justice, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for human rights

human rights

Freedom from arbitrary interference or restriction by governments. The term encompasses largely the same rights called civil liberties or civil rights but often suggests rights that have not been recognized.

notes for human rights

Political leaders in the United States often use the expression when speaking of rights violated by other nations.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.