humanly

adverb

hu·​man·​ly ˈhyü-mən-lē 

ˈyü-

1

a

: with regard to human needs and emotions

… provide humanly for those who are not needed in the economy …

—E. F. Bacon

b

: with regard to or in keeping with human proneness to error or weakness

humanly inaccurate

2

a

: from a human viewpoint

Humanly speaking, the process works … like this …

—Elizabeth Janeway

b

: within the range of human capacity

did everything humanly possible

c

: by humans

humanly made

Examples of humanly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Companies figuring out how to provide agents genuine autonomy while remaining humanly accountable for outcomes will leave the competition in the dust. — Tim Bajarin, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Not as safely as humanly possible, but way beyond. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

For her next project, she’s headed as far from there as humanly (or inhumanly) possible. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2026

That’s either a reflection of a regime change in the dugout or a realization that Realmuto, at 35, is no longer someone who has to be in their lineup as much as humanly possible. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 21 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing humanly

• as soon/quickly as (humanly) possible
• humanly possible

Kids Definition

humanly

adverb

hu·​man·​ly ˈhyü-mən-lē 

ˈyü-

1

: within the range of human ability

a task not humanly possible

2

: of or concerning human needs or emotions

deal humanly with the poor