humanoid

American  

[hyoo-muh-noid, yoo-] / ˈhyu məˌnɔɪd, ˈyu- /

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

Musk recently has talked about shifting the company’s focus to AI, robotaxis and humanoid robots, but these all resemble pipe dreams.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Automated robots are not new to the sector, but the use of a humanoid is unusual.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

The goals include growing Tesla to a $8.5 trillion market capitalization—up from $1.2 trillion today—delivering 20 million cars, putting one million robotaxis into service and selling one million humanoid robots.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

That would be a big problem for Tesla, which has staked not only Musk’s compensation but its own future on humanoid robots and self-driving vehicles.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

“The reflex-arc response taking place in the upper ganglia of the spinal column requires several microseconds more in the humanoid robot than in a human nervous system.”

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