humanitarian
Americanadjective
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having concern for or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people.
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of or relating to ethical or theological humanitarianism.
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pertaining to the saving of human lives or to the alleviation of suffering.
a humanitarian crisis.
noun
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a person actively engaged in promoting human welfare and social reforms, as a philanthropist.
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a person who professes ethical or theological humanitarianism.
adjective
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having the interests of mankind at heart
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of or relating to ethical or theological humanitarianism
noun
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a philanthropist
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an adherent of humanitarianism
Other Word Forms
- antihumanitarian adjective
- semihumanitarian adjective
- unhumanitarian adjective
Etymology
Origin of humanitarian
First recorded in 1810–20; humanit(y) + -arian
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.
“It’s Easter, the Vatican is involved in pushing for humanitarian gestures on the part of Cuba as well as Trump. It looks like a humanitarian quid pro quo,” Kornbluh said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
"But it's not to precipitate a full-blown societal or humanitarian collapse."
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
“Mexico has every right to send fuel for humanitarian or commercial reasons,” she said, adding that private companies have approached Mexico’s state oil company to sell fuel to the Cuban private sector.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
"The convoy remains on track to complete its mission - delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people," he added.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
Leo Szilard felt deeply the difficulty of balancing the imperative to build the bomb with humanitarian concerns about its use.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
