humanoid

adjective

hu·man·oid | \ ˈhyü-mə-ˌnȯid

, ˈyü-\

Definition of humanoid

(Entry 1 of 2)

: having human form or characteristics humanoid dentition humanoid robots

humanoid

noun

plural humanoids

Definition of humanoid (Entry 2 of 2)

: a humanoid being : a nonhuman creature or being with characteristics (such as the ability to walk upright) resembling those of a human Why do people respond so strongly to penguins? First, they stand straight and walk upright, like us, so we see them as little humanoids—a convention of headwaiters, ten thousand nuns, plump babies in snowsuits.— Diane Ackerman Those tales of the deep blended narratives of voyages of exploration … with fantastic additions drawn from an ancient repertoire of sea monsters and mutant humanoids.— Simon Schama

Other Words from humanoid Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about humanoid

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Did You Know?

A humanoid robot, sometimes called an android, is a robot that resembles a human. Accounts of the yeti, Sasquatch, and Bigfoot continue to fascinate us mainly because of their humanoid characteristics. The idea of creating a monstrous humanoid, such as the Jewish golem or Victor Frankenstein's creation, has intrigued us for centuries. "Humanoid Animation" is a standard for creating humanlike figures for video that lets the same figure be used in a variety of 3-D games—some of which have nothing but humanoids for characters.

Examples of humanoid in a Sentence

Adjective

The movie is about humanoid aliens invading Earth.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

And some real-life humanoid robots are modeled after white celebrities, such as Audrey Hepburn and Scarlett Johansson. — David Allan, CNN, "Robot racism? Yes, says a study showing humans' biases extend to robots," 1 Aug. 2019 And some real-life humanoid robots are modeled after white celebrities, such as Audrey Hepburn and Scarlett Johansson. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "Robot racism? Yes, says a study showing humans’ biases extend to robots," 1 Aug. 2019 What the trailer has plenty of is, well, lots of closeups of uncannily humanoid cats, plus some background dancing. — Aja Romano, Vox, "The first Cats trailer is finally here. We were not prepared.," 18 July 2019 The title story slowly reveals details of a humanoid race whose anatomical workings diverge ever further from ours. — Tom Shippey, WSJ, "Science Fiction: Philosophy in the Form of Sci-Fi," 24 May 2019 Jaunty, lumpy monoliths built from an encrustation of sparkly glass beads by Mexican artist Raúl de Nieves are like humanoid stalagmites discovered deep within Plato’s cave. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "MOCA on the rebound? Three strong shows and free entry are welcome signs of change," 12 June 2019 D’Arcy Carden, who plays Janet, a humanoid entity with limitless knowledge, on NBC’s The Good Place discusses the challenges and comic possibilities that exist in the uncanny valley. — Byrd Pinkerton, Vox, "13 of Vox’s best podcast episodes of 2018," 6 Dec. 2018 Sign-up Getting to Ms. Huey’s home requires driving due north from downtown Scottsdale for about 30 minutes, through a rugged desert where tall, humanoid Saguaro cactuses outnumber the people. — Candace Taylor, WSJ, "A Desert Home Design Inspired by Paperweights," 8 Nov. 2018 Atlas has come a long way since the company first debuted its ability to march through the woods like the humanoid answer to Big Foot. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Boston Dynamics' Atlas Can Now Chase You Up the Stairs," 11 Oct. 2018

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