humanism
Americannoun
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any system or mode of thought or action in which human interests, values, and dignity predominate.
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devotion to or study of the humanities.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) the studies, principles, or culture of the humanists.
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Philosophy. a variety of ethical theory and practice that emphasizes reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world and often rejects the importance of belief in God.
noun
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the denial of any power or moral value superior to that of humanity; the rejection of religion in favour of a belief in the advancement of humanity by its own efforts
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a philosophical position that stresses the autonomy of human reason in contradistinction to the authority of the Church
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(often capital) a cultural movement of the Renaissance, based on classical studies
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interest in the welfare of people
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of humanism
Explanation
Do you think humans should use their brains and reason to be the best they can be, instead of relying on religion? Then you believe in humanism. Humanism comes from the Latin humanitas, which means "education that befits a civilized man." This belief system or cultural movement bubbled up during the Renaissance, promoting classical Greek and Roman values like reason, justice and ethics instead of supernatural religious ideas. People who follow humanism are called humanists, and they've probably studied a lot of literature, philosophy and history.
Vocabulary lists containing humanism
Some Political and Philosophical -isms
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The Renaissance and Early Modern European History - Introductory
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The Enlightenment
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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.
"Many people don't agree with deporting teenagers. This humanism that has made Sweden famous and is its core value," she explained.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
With “Disclosure Day,” it’s clear that this unprecedented, Earth-shattering event brought oft-pondered questions about empathy and humanism back to the forefront for cinema’s great dreamer.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
At its best, “The Innocents of Florence” is an example of a complicated humanism: An empathetic study of the perpetual interplay between good intentions, human frailties and imperfect outcomes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
What the best of Gehry’s late projects have in common is not only virtuosity in their form-making, but also a remarkable kind of humanism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
This new, irrepressible sound was the still, small voice of secular humanism.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
