humanist

[hyoo-muh-nist, yoo-]

noun

1. a person having a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity.

2. a person devoted to or versed in the humanities.

3. a student of human nature or affairs.

4. a classical scholar.

5. (sometimes initial capital letter),  any one of the scholars of the Renaissance who pursued and disseminated the study and understanding of the cultures of ancient Rome and Greece, and emphasized secular, individualistic, and critical thought.

6. (sometimes initial capital letter),  a person who follows a form of philosophical or scientific humanism.

adjective

1. of or relating to human affairs, nature, welfare, or values.

   our humanist principles; a humanist approach to social reform.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter),  of or relating to the humanities or classical scholarship, especially that of the Renaissance humanists.

   humanist studies; the Humanist ideology of Petrarch.

3. of or relating to philosophical or scientific humanism.

   a humanist philosophy that clashed with his parents’ religious beliefs.

humanist

1. In the Renaissance, a scholar who studied the languages and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome; today, a scholar of the humanities. The term secular humanist is applied to someone who concentrates on human activities and possibilities, usually downplaying or denying the importance of God and a life after death.

Other Word Forms

• humanistically adverb
• antihumanist noun
• antihumanistic adjective
• nonhumanist noun
• nonhumanistic adjective
• pseudohumanistic adjective
• quasi-humanistic adjective
• semihumanistic adjective
• unhumanistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of humanist¹

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French, French humaniste “classics scholar, classicist”; equivalent to human + -ist

Example Sentences

“That’s no bloody wonder why he’s playing William Shakespeare, the ultimate humanist. Not many people can actually do that genuinely.”

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James L. Brooks is one of Hollywood’s great humanists — and Lord knows we need those more than ever.

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This anthology left me humbled — and determined to double down on my commitment as a writer, a free thinker, a humanist.

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Her conclusion was startling, her tone defiant: “Put me wherever you want: misguided socialist, toothless humanist, naïve novelist, useful idiot, apologist, denier, ally, contrarian, collaborator, traitor, inexcusable coward.”

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By 2022, he was falsely claiming the separation of church and state is “a fabrication” made up by “secular humanists.”

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