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

The minuscule yet distinctly humanoid figure of a fairy flaps its wings as it flies into the ancient ruins of a bygone kingdom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 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

However, with so many humanoid manufacturers still iterating new designs for their robots and the parts that make them up, potential suppliers don’t appear ready to commit to manufacturing them.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

“The system’s largest manufacturer of humanoid robots used in our colonization program?”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick