humankind

noun, singular or plural in construction hu·man·kind \ ˈhyü-mən-ˌkīnd , ˈyü- \

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Definition of humankind

: the human race : humanity

Recent Examples of humankind from the Web

In the album’s mythology, human history has been consigned to the past along with humankind itself.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "Oneohtrix Point Never’s Quest to Make Music That Freaks People Out," 31 May 2018
Here Smith reckons with our history of violence and oppression while affirming the endurance of love — between strangers, between family members, between God and humankind.

— diana whitney, San Francisco Chronicle, "New poetry by Tracy K. Smith, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Shauna Hannibal," 28 May 2018
Museums celebrate humankind’s achievements, acknowledge shameful human episodes like slavery and genocide, and look ahead to the future with exhibits on space exploration.

— USA TODAY, "50 state road trip: Best museum in each state," 26 Apr. 2018
That plastic debris often finds its way to the planet’s oceans, rivers and lakes, creating problems for aquatic species and, by extension, humankind.

— justin worland, Time, "See How Many LEGO Skyscrapers You Could Build With a Year's Worth of Ocean Plastic Waste," 21 Apr. 2018
Given Toba’s potential role in shaping humankind, researchers have worked to understand precisely how early humans reacted to it.

— National Geographic, "These Ancient Humans Survived a Supervolcano," 12 Mar. 2018
The ingenuity of humankind is really on display here.

— hope reese, Longreads, "‘I Was a Storm of Confetti’: Michael Pollan On Why It’s a Good Idea To Lose Your Self," 30 May 2018
It is instantiated in works that for centuries have absorbed the thought, labor, and substance of humankind.

— jia tolentino, The New Yorker, "The Mail," 19 May 2018
Well, consider Thanos the most enthusiastic—and unfortunately, also the most super-powered—disciple of Thomas Robert Malthus, who argued that appetites would always outstrip resources, leaving humankind perpetually poor and famished.

— christopher orr, The Atlantic, "Avengers: Infinity War Is an Extraordinary Juggling Act," 26 Apr. 2018

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