hominin

noun

hom·​i·​nin ˈhä-mə-nən 

-ˌnin

: any of a taxonomic tribe (Hominini) of hominids that includes recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms

Examples of hominin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those findings, published in 2020, contradicted the earlier hypothesis and raised doubts as to whether the species should be considered a hominin at all. —Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026

The researchers note that apes have long arms and short legs, whereas hominins have relatively long legs. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026

The team believes that the area’s hominins who understood pyrite’s utility sourced it elsewhere before bringing it to the Barnham site. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Dec. 2025

But more recent discoveries of older hominins that likely walked upright have suggested that Lucy was not the earliest human ancestor, although most still think her species was ancestral to our own lineage. —Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Hominini, from Homin-, Homo + -ini, tribe suffix, from Latin -inus -ine entry 1

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above