human

adjective

hu·man | \ ˈhyü-mən

, ˈyü-\

Definition of human

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of humans (see human entry 2) the human brain human voices problems that have occurred throughout human history

2 : consisting of humans everyone held hands and made a human chain

3a : having human form or attributes the statue is more human than the beings at his feet— Clifton Fadiman

b : representative of or susceptible to the sympathies and frailties of human nature human kindness a human weakness such an inconsistency is very human— P. E. More

human

noun

Definition of human (Entry 2 of 2)

: a bipedal primate mammal (Homo sapiens) : a person : man sense 1c —usually plural a disease that affects both humans and animalsincomprehensible to us humans— William James broadly : hominid the least developed of all ancestral humans — A. L. Kroeber

Other Words from human Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about human

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Other Words from human

Adjective

humanness \ ˈhyü-mən-nəs

, ˈyü- \ noun

Noun

humanlike \ ˈhyü-mən-ˌlīk

, ˈyü- \ adjective

Examples of human in a Sentence

Adjective

problems that have occurred throughout human history She is a very kind and human person. The dog's expression was almost human. The assembly line was a human machine. Everyone held hands and formed a human chain.

Noun

humans are the only mammals not endowed with a natural defense against the elements, such as fur or a thick hide

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Instead, the agency has asked for $1.6 billion in new funding to support a human return to the moon that could cost as much as $30 billion over the next five years. — Tim Fernholz, Quartz, "NASA won’t launch a mission to hunt deadly asteroids," 5 July 2019 Kudos to Josh Norman with the Washington Redskins for visiting the humanitarian respite center/McAllen today & contributing to our response to restore human dignity. — Tre'vaughn Howard, CBS News, "NFL cornerback John Norman donates $18,000 to migrant aid facility," 28 June 2019 Emerging technologies, particularly those that have the potential to save human life and also to take lives, need an open debate and deserve a relatively transparent process — warts and all. — Shira Ovide, Houston Chronicle, "Apple’s silence hurts effort on driverless cars," 28 June 2019 Those solids are what remains from human and animal waste once they are separated from water that is then cleaned and discharged. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Contamination from firefighting foam spill prompts new testing in Farmington River, military bases, major rivers and lakes," 28 June 2019 Workers picking up human waste with bare hands is a common sight at railway stations across India. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "India’s most demeaning job killed over 100 people in two years, but is anyone bothered?," 28 June 2019 The implicit loss of human life is on a par with some Marvel movies, but without the superheroes to soften the blow. — The Economist, "China’s grand, gloomy sci-fi is going global," 22 June 2019 In 1969, the Cuyahoga had about a century of crap built up on it, from human waste from the towns down the river to waste from the industries that had built Cleveland into the fifth-biggest city in the United States at one point. — Vince Guerrieri, Popular Mechanics, "Smoke on the Water: 50 Years After the Cuyahoga Fire," 20 June 2019 Overcoming that fear is a very important step to realizing that person is able to make a change in their life and is able to organize and is able to defend their basic human rights and human dignity. — Kate Morrissey, San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego immigrant communities preparing for increased enforcement after Trump tweet," 18 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

If humans suffer from too much civilization, dogs suffer from too much domestication. — Anchorage Daily News, "What do you do with bird dogs in the off-season? Love them, play with them, get to know them.," 9 July 2019 Patel had earlier shown that Snowball could move to the beat, which was notable because, while humans dance, other primates don’t. — Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "Researchers investigate why only humans and parrots can boogie-oogie-oogie," 9 July 2019 Broken down, the fiscal year 2019-20 spending plan includes $2 billion for public safety, $2.3 billion for health and human services, $1.3 billion for finance and general government and $651 million for land use and environment. — Ramona Sentinel, "County supervisors approve $6.25 billion budget," 9 July 2019 Whereas you, or most humans, would be caught up in your anger until the other person got back. — Alexa Lisitza, Teen Vogue, "The Best Advice from Therapists, From 50 Different People," 9 July 2019 Only a few left Only a dozen humans have ever stepped out of a spacecraft and onto the surface of another world, and two-thirds of them are gone now. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Buzz Aldrin is looking forward, not back—and he has a plan to bring NASA along," 9 July 2019 The fire was human caused, according to Davila, and no evacuations or injuries have occurred as a result of the fire. — Rocky Baier, azcentral, "Smokehouse wildfire controlled near Wittman; Jomax fire nears full containment," 8 July 2019 The dogs, pets of lodge staff and guests, stuck close to their humans until the dancing commenced. — Dina Mishev, Dallas News, "This lodge in the Oregon wilderness is anything but wild," 8 July 2019 According to the American Kennel Club, ingesting ice cream made for humans can cause gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and vomiting in dogs. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "PetSmart Is Giving Out Free Dog-Friendly Sundaes to Pups to Celebrate National Ice Cream Month," 8 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'human.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.