humanity

noun hu·man·i·ty \ hyü-ˈma-nə-tē , yü- \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: humanity in a Sentence

Definition of humanity

plural humanities

1 : compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition : the quality or state of being humane

bespeaking humanity for the enemy in the midst of a bloody struggle
—C. G. Bowers

2 a : the quality or state of being human

joined together by their common humanity

b humanities plural : human attributes or qualities

his work has the ripeness of the 18th century, and its rough humanities
—Pamela H. Johnson

3 humanities plural : the branches of learning (such as philosophy, arts, or languages) that investigate human constructs (see ²construct 1a) and concerns as opposed to natural processes (as in physics or chemistry) and social relations (as in anthropology or economics)

4 : the totality of human beings : the human race : humankind

a fierce compassion for the woes of humanity
—Maurice Bowra

See humanity defined for English-language learners

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Examples of humanity in a Sentence

We appealed to his sense of humanity.
These discoveries will be of benefit to all humanity.
She was cut off from the rest of humanity.
the college of arts and humanities
He's taking courses in both the sciences and the humanities.

Recent Examples of humanity from the Web

Where is the voice of humanity in all of this political and religious and racist noise that’s going on?

— ed masley, azcentral, "Ziggy Marley talks 'Rebellion Rises' and the 'little spark' that will become a 'raging fire'," 13 June 2018
His charm was in his embrace of humanity in all of its nuance, the good and the bad.

— laura bradley, HWD, "Anthony Bourdain’s Boundless Curiosity Was an Inspiration," 8 June 2018
The Door is the violent overthrow of humanity in its entirety, and the way to get there is merely through the general shutdown of Westworld, and likely Delos Destinations as a whole.

— refinery29.com, "Is This “The Door” Westworld Has Been Talking About?," 4 June 2018
What Bezos seems to be getting at is that, with a population that is rapidly escalating and an unquenchable demand for energy, humanity is at risk of overpopulation and resource depletion.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "For Jeff Bezos, Space Is the Place," 31 May 2018
This particular seed became trapped around the orbit of Jupiter, so humanity is late to the party.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "Now is the perfect time to start watching The Expanse," 24 May 2018
An All-New God Is a Scottish Drag Queen’ Mike Delamont has words of wisdom for humanity in his stand-up act, delivered as the Almighty with a Scottish brogue.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando Fringe: Sentinel's Best of the Fest," 23 May 2018
Life is about connection—love and friendship are humanity’s greatest achievements.

— john maus, WSJ, "Janet Mock, John Maus and More on Acceptance," 21 May 2018
There's a tedium to the sort of repetition that merely rehashes and recycles the same wink-wink barbs that worked the first time around — but also a relatable, even pitiable humanity in the film's desperation to be liked.

— jen yamato, latimes.com, "Snark conquers all in 'Deadpool 2,' a superhero sequel that's more of the same," 15 May 2018

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