human rights

American  

[hyoo-muhn rahyts, yoo‑] / ˈhyu mən ˈraɪts, ˈyu‑ /

plural noun

1. fundamental rights, especially those believed to belong to an individual and in whose exercise a government may not interfere, as the rights to speak, associate, work, etc.

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human rights British  

plural noun

1. the rights of individuals to liberty, justice, etc

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human rights Cultural  

1. Freedom from arbitrary interference or restriction by governments. The term encompasses largely the same rights called civil liberties or civil rights but often suggests rights that have not been recognized.

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Political leaders in the United States often use the expression when speaking of rights violated by other nations.

Etymology

Origin of human rights

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

A bulk of those funds were distributed by grants approved by the human rights commission.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

The city’s human rights commission declined to comment to The Times on the matter.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

He successfully lobbied for laws in the U.S., the U.K. and European Union that provide financial sanctions against crooked foreign officials and human rights violators.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

We cannot verify their accounts, but they are similar to the hundreds of interviews done by human rights groups over the past two decades.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Song was the executive director of Liberty in North Korea, the human rights group that had helped bring him to the United States.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

Related Words

• civil rights