mankind
Americannoun
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the human race; human beings collectively without reference to gender; humankind.
It is no longer possible, if it ever was, for a single human brain to hold all of mankind's scientific knowledge.
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men, as distinguished from women.
Some still maintain that mankind is stronger, braver, smarter than womankind, but many others consider that absolute nonsense.
noun
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human beings collectively; humanity
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men collectively, as opposed to womankind
Usage
Nowadays many people object to the use of mankind to refer to all human beings and use the term humankind instead
Gender
Is man gender-neutral? See man.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mankind
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; man ( def. ) + kind 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Mankind is every single human being — all of us. The discovery of cures for diseases benefits all of mankind, while global warming is not so kind to mankind. The entire human species can be referred to in one simple word with mankind. Pollution is something that harms mankind across the globe, and disasters like war and famine have affected mankind all through our history. If you think your dad's brownies are the very best in the entire world, you could exaggerate a little and say, "They're the most delicious thing known to mankind." In its Old English origin, man is gender-neutral, meaning simply "person."
Vocabulary lists containing mankind
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.
Uthmeier said on X that artificial intelligence tools should “advance mankind, not destroy it.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Slavery was the "most horrendous crime that took place in the history of mankind", Ghana's foreign minister has told the BBC ahead of a landmark vote at the UN General Assembly.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
It will contrast contemporary and historical pieces to profile the impact of technology on mankind.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
One platform’s founder claimed the prediction market represents “the most accurate thing we have as mankind right now,” while another’s leader asserted the platform is “replacing debate, subjectivity, and talk with markets, accuracy, and truth.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026
Nothingness was what the world came from, and to achieve nothingness again became the ultimate goal of mankind.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
