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.
MS notes several risks to further adoption of humanoid robots, including product reliability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Tesla also started using a manufacturing plant in California to produce humanoid robots, known as Optimus.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Capital expenditures “will grow for the next two or three years,” Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja told investors earlier this year, citing work on robotaxis, humanoid robots and other investments.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
"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
She made out the wispy outline of something vaguely humanoid, and then her eyes focused long enough to recognize it.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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