humanity

[hyoo-man-i-tee or, often, yoo-]

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noun, plural hu·man·i·ties.

all human beings collectively; the human race; humankind.
the quality or condition of being human; human nature.
the quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence.

the humanities,
1. the study of classical languages and classical literature.
2. the Latin and Greek classics as a field of study.
3. literature, philosophy, art, etc., as distinguished from the natural sciences.
4. the study of literature, philosophy, art, etc.

Origin of humanity

1350–1400; Middle English humanite < Latin hūmānitās. See human, -ity

Related formsan·ti·hu·man·i·ty, noun, plural an·ti·hu·man·i·ties.o·ver·hu·man·i·ty, noun

Synonyms for humanity

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3. sympathy, tenderness, goodwill.

Antonyms for humanity

3. inhumanity, unkindness.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for humanity

society, humankind, mankind, empathy, goodwill, compassion, generosity, goodness, kindness, friendship, people, humanness, mercy, altruism, heart, amity, sympathy, feeling, charity

Examples from the Web for humanity

Contemporary Examples of humanity

Houellebecq shows himself to be perfectly disgusted with humanity.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President
Pierre Assouline
January 9, 2015
While politics tend to migrate toward the poles, humanity—and fiction, at its best—huddles in between.
The 2014 Novel of the Year
Nathaniel Rich
December 29, 2014
Christmas is unique in that it is a global holiday celebrated all over the world by humanity.
A Field General in the War on Christmas
David Freedlander
December 24, 2014
Cormac McCarthy once said that a novel can “encompass all the various disciplines and interests of humanity.”
The Birth of the Novel
Nick Romeo
November 27, 2014
“There is a little remnant of humanity in Tywin Lannister,” he says.
Charles Dance on Tywin Lannister’s S5 Return, A ‘Game of Thrones’ Movie,’ and Sexy Peter Dinklage
Marlow Stern
November 18, 2014

Historical Examples of humanity

Then he ventured into the heat and glare of Broadway where humanity stewed and wilted.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Humanity hungers for international peace, and we crave it with all mankind.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
I was oppressed, grieved, sickened, at the sad presentation of humanity.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
The Republic has marched on and on, and its step has exalted freedom and humanity.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
Here muster, not the forces of party, but the forces of humanity.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various

British Dictionary definitions for humanity

humanity

noun plural -ties

the human race
the quality of being human
kindness or mercy
the humanities (plural) the study of literature, philosophy, and the arts
the study of Ancient Greek and Roman language, literature, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for humanity

late 14c., "kindness, graciousness," from Old French humanité, umanité "human nature; humankind, life on earth; pity," from Latin humanitatem (nominative humanitas) "human nature; philanthropy, kindness; good breeding, refinement; the human race, mankind," from humanus (see human). Sense of "human nature, human form" is c.1400; that of "human race" first recorded mid-15c.