humanist

[ hyoo-muh-nist or, often, yoo- ]

/ ˈhyu mə nɪst or, often, ˈyu- /

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Definition of humanist

noun

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

a person devoted to or versed in the humanities.

a student of human nature or affairs.

a classical scholar.

(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.

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

adjective Also hu·man·is·tic

[hyoo-muh-nis-tik, or, often, yoo‐] /ˌhyu məˈnɪs tɪk, or, often, ˌyu‐/

of or relating to human affairs, nature, welfare, or values: our humanist principles; a humanist approach to social reform.

(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.

of or relating to philosophical or scientific humanism: a humanist philosophy that clashed with his parents’ religious beliefs.

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Origin of humanist

1585–95; <Middle French, French humaniste “classics scholar, classicist” See human, -ist

OTHER WORDS FROM humanist

hu·man·is·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·hu·man·ist, noun, adjectivean·ti·hu·man·is·tic, adjectivenon·hu·ma·nist, noun

non·hu·man·is·tic, adjectivepseu·do·hu·man·is·tic, adjectivequa·si-hu·man·is·tic, adjectivesem·i·hu·man·is·tic, adjectiveun·hu·man·is·tic, adjective

Words nearby humanist

humanics, human immunodeficiency virus, human interest, human-interest story, humanism, humanist, humanistic psychology, humanitarian, humanitarianism, humanities, humanity

How to use humanist in a sentence

I used dépaysement when, as a humanist in a land of engineers, I asked unpopular questions about the emotional effects of digital technology.
The Pandemic Made Us Strangers to Ourselves. Will We Have Learned Anything When It's Over?|Sherry Turkle|March 16, 2021|Time
Kato Mukasa, a lawyer who leads the AHCN and is the UHASSO chair, says a survey conducted between February 2018 and February 2020 shows the country has more than 3,000 humanists.
Can Uganda Help Africa Break the Church’s Grip on Weddings?|Charu Kasturi|December 14, 2020|Ozy
Scotland, for example, had more humanist weddings than Christian ones in 2019.
Can Uganda Help Africa Break the Church’s Grip on Weddings?|Charu Kasturi|December 14, 2020|Ozy
Giovanni Gaetani, membership engagement manager at the London-based Humanists International, which is funding projects to encourage humanist weddings and funerals in Uganda and Lithuania, says the popularity of such ceremonies is growing globally.
Can Uganda Help Africa Break the Church’s Grip on Weddings?|Charu Kasturi|December 14, 2020|Ozy

You have a bunch of humanists sort of generating hypotheses, but they don’t know exactly what’s possible.
Netflix’s Reed Hastings on Rejecting Brilliant Jerks, the Power of Big Vacations, and Spending $15 Billion on Content|Eben Shapiro|September 13, 2020|Time
“You almost saw a humanist as well as an absolute demonic side,” she says now.
Westgate's Chilling Security Video Reveals Shopping Mall Bloodbath|Nina Strochlic|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“There should be humanist alternatives to church in basic training,” he said.
U.S. Air Force: Swear to God—or Get Out|Dave Majumdar|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once, the humanist idea used to animate the very core of the university.
Can Higher Education Really Save Our Humanity?|James Poulos|February 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, liberals were attacked for their “secular humanist” ideology as opposed to their philosophy of governing.
Ted Cruz and Donald Trump a Sideshow at Fire and Brimstone Rally|Ben Jacobs|August 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But if the religious Zionist youth movements are any indication, those values will be anything but universal or humanist.
Racism and Religious Zionist Youth Movements: Own Up|Dr. Assaf David|May 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But if I were asked to describe myself in a single word, I should call myself a Humanist.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
The Humanist remedy is to remove the causes which lead or drive men into crime, and so to prevent the manufacture of "sinners."
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
An anthology of the literature of social protest, with an introduction by Jack London, who calls it "this humanist Holy-book."
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society|Upton Sinclair
Or, to quote the famous humanist creed of Protagoras, as Schiller is so fond of doing, "Man is the measure of all things."
The Behavior of Crowds|Everett Dean Martin
The humanist method must be extended to the whole subject-matter of education, even to a revaluation of knowing itself.
The Behavior of Crowds|Everett Dean Martin

Cultural definitions for humanist

humanist

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.