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
Explanation
Despite many jokes to the contrary, a humanitarian is not someone who eats humans (as a vegetarian eats vegetables)! A humanitarian is a person concerned with the welfare of all humankind. A millionaire would be considered a great humanitarian if he donated much of his wealth for improving education, housing, and food for the poor. As an adjective, humanitarian is used to describe something or someone who displays the characteristics of someone concerned with human welfare: "The humanitarian project was developed to help women become self-sufficient in third world countries."
Vocabulary lists containing humanitarian
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Power Suffix: -arian
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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.
Greer also observed that humanitarian groups were affected by restrictions on satellite images.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
And those unmoved by humanitarian concerns should think about an unstoppable wave of mass migration that may well be unleashed.
From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026
It launched a rapid humanitarian assistance and relief mission named Operation Sagar Bandhu, translating from Hindi as "friend across the sea".
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
In August, Cakarel publicly distanced himself from Maguire, called the suffering of Palestinians “a humanitarian catastrophe” and announced Mubi would create an “ethical funding and investment policy.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
After the German surrender, he brought one more argument to the table: using the bomb on Japan would fatally compromise America’s moral and humanitarian standing, undermining any efforts to create a workable international control regime.
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.
