humanoid

American  

[hyoo-muh-noid, yoo-] / ˈhju məˌnɔɪd, ˈju- /

adjective

1. having human characteristics or form; resembling human beings.

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noun

1. a humanoid being.

   to search for humanoids in outer space.

humanoid British  

/ ˈhjuːməˌnɔɪd /

adjective

1. like a human being in appearance

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noun

1. a being with human rather than anthropoid characteristics

2. (in science fiction) a robot or creature resembling a human being

Etymology

Origin of humanoid

First recorded in 1915–20; human + -oid

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

humanoid

She also reduces the fair value of the company’s U.S.-based robotics affiliate, Boston Dynamics, to 55 billion won from 115 billion won previously, based on a newly estimated average selling price for Atlas humanoid robots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Galaxea develops humanoid robots as well as robotics AI models and software that support research and development.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The team works with Africa One, a humanoid robot they built, to refine and expand the signs their mechnical arms are able to produce.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Improving robotic brains is one of the key ways that the recent wave of humanoid firms can make their robots actually useful.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026

“Dr. Lanning, it’s perfectly possible to create a humanoid robot that would perfectly duplicate a human in appearance, isn’t it?”

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov