humanoid
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
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a being with human rather than anthropoid characteristics
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(in science fiction) a robot or creature resembling a human being
Etymology
Origin of humanoid
Explanation
Something that's humanoid looks or acts like a real, live human being — but it's not. A humanoid robot is one that's designed to resemble a person. Anthropologists coined the word humanoid in the 19th century, adding the suffix -oid, or "like," to human. Scientists once used it to talk about humanlike traits in non-human organisms, but today it nearly always describes an automaton or robot. In the Star Wars universe, droids like C-3PO are humanoid, while R2-D2, who doesn’t have arms and legs or a recognizable face, is not.
Vocabulary lists containing humanoid
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.
"China continues to narrow the competitive gap with US companies across AI models, humanoid robotics, memory and other parts of the technology supply chain," said Pepperstone's Chris Weston.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
He cited expansion of the robotaxi fleet, production capacity for Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, a semiconductor plant, solar manufacturing capacity and AI-computing infrastructure, alongside continued investment in the car business.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Lucas Lu walked by the protest, guiding two black-and-white humanoid robots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Bringing an ultracostly, niche vehicle to market could improve the company’s cash flow while longer-term bets, like humanoid robotics, might take a while to pay off, said Jon McNeill, a former Tesla president.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
“The bone marrow test,” Miss French said, “shows that Mr. Polokov was a humanoid robot. Do you want a detailed—”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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