human rights

plural noun

: rights (such as freedom from unlawful imprisonment, torture, and execution) regarded as belonging fundamentally to all persons

Examples of human rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On July 19, at least seven cafes and restaurants in Tehran were closed down for not enforcing the mandatory hijab, according to human rights group HRANA. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

As Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet premier and promised new openness with a policy of glasnost, a slow thaw would begin toward free speech, human rights, the release of political dissidents and relaxed restrictions on emigration. — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

Security forces, including the now-defunct FAES special police unit, carried out operations that human rights groups have linked to extrajudicial killings. — Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026

With Mother/Land and my work on human rights, that too is really fairly easily gleaned from the perspective of the events of the book. — Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for human rights

• acolytes
• ammonites
• amorites
• analytes
• andesites
• appetites
• argillites
• astrocytes
• belemnites
• bryophytes
• canaanites
• carmelites

Legal Definition

human rights

noun plural

: rights (as freedom from unlawful imprisonment, torture, and execution) regarded as belonging fundamentally to all people