human

adjective hu·man \ ˈhyü-mən , ˈyü- \

Definition of human

1 :of, relating to, or characteristic of humans (see ²human)

the human brain

human voices

problems that have occurred throughout human history

2 :consisting of humans

everyone held hands and made a human chain

3 a :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

—

humanness

play \ˈhyü-mən-nəs, ˈyü-\ noun

See human defined for English-language learners

See human defined for kids

Examples of human in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of human from the Web

In interviews with police, the woman described how she was plucked from her human resources position at Guo’s real estate company in Hong Kong in 2015 and sent overseas to become his personal assistant.

— Washington Post, "AP Exclusive: China accuses outspoken tycoon in US of rape," 31 Aug. 2017
Nibert’s husband encouraged her to report the man to human resources.

— joe marusak and maria david, charlotteobserver, "Fired Wells Fargo worker claims boss asked her to cook dinner for him in the nude," 30 Aug. 2017
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — San Francisco 49ers strong safety Eric Reid has resumed his kneeling protest for human rights during the national anthem, after joining then-teammate Colin Kaepernick’s polarizing demonstration last season.

— dave campbell, The Seattle Times, "49ers’ Eric Reid resumes national anthem kneel," 27 Aug. 2017
In 2015, Louisville had three human cases but no deaths, according to the local health department.

— darla carter, The Courier-Journal, "West Nile virus strikes 4 Kentuckians. 1 case confirmed in Louisville," 25 Aug. 2017
Our nation's military abilities are based upon our magnificent human capital.

— robert bateman, Esquire, "A Few Words About My Friend Michelle, and Trump's Transgender Military Ban," 24 Aug. 2017
Haberman is leadership partner at The Moth, handling responsibilities such as funding, management, human resources, legal and overseeing workshop and community outreach programs.

— matt wake, AL.com, "Meet the Alabama native behind podcast phenomenon The Moth," 18 Aug. 2017
Under the Orwellian theory of speech-violence, refusing to endorse a controversial anthropological claim about the nature of human sexuality constitutes violence, no different from punching an ideological opponent in the face.

— josh craddock, National Review, "Words Are Not Violence," 18 Aug. 2017
All this disorientation comes with the aim of setting goalposts for some very basic questions about human existence.

— jordan hoffman, vanityfair.com, "Marjorie Prime Review: This Quiet Sci-Fi Is the Best Kind of Virtual Insanity," 17 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of human

Middle English humain, from Anglo-French, from Latin humanus; akin to Latin homo human being — more at homage

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

human Synonyms

Synonyms

earthborn, mortal, natural

Antonyms

nonhuman

Related Words

anthropoid, creatural, hominid, humanlike, humanoid

Near Antonyms

angelic (or angelical), divine, godlike, preternatural, superhuman, supernatural, supernormal; immortal, omnipotent, omniscient; animal, beastly, bestial, brute, infrahuman; inhuman, robotic, subhuman

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

human

noun

Definition of human

:a bipedal primate mammal (Homo sapiens) :a person :man 1c —usually plural

a disease that affects both humans and animals

incomprehensible to us humans
—William James

; broadly :hominid

the least developed of all ancestral humans
—A. L. Kroeber

—

humanlike

play \ˈhyü-mən-ˌlīk, ˈyü-\ adjective

See human defined for English-language learners

Examples of human in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of human from the Web

As outdoor pool season comes to a close for humans, our favorite four-legged friends get a chance for one last swim.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "With summer almost over, dogs welcome to swim at these Louisville pools," 28 Aug. 2017
SIU voluntarily agreed to follow U.S. safety requirements and set up an IRB for all research involving human subjects, according to records.

— marisa taylor, Kaiser Health News, "Offshore Human Testing Of Herpes Vaccine Stokes Debate Over U.S. Safety Rules," 28 Aug. 2017
But, we humans failed to maintain and improve it along the way in hopes of a longer life.

— Naperville Sun, "Readers Respond," 25 Aug. 2017
Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in particular, are hot spots — posing a risk for both for humans and dogs.

— tom avril, Philly.com, "Find a tick on your dog, your child, or your shirt? Send it to Drexel," 23 Aug. 2017
To develop a genetic blood test for cancer, researchers must find ways to spot DNA mutations linked to cancer while ignoring natural and harmless mutations that regularly occur in humans, Velculescu explained.

— dennis thompson, chicagotribune.com, "Blood test shows promise for early-stage cancer detection," 18 Aug. 2017
Since the beginning of mankind—or at least since the Roman Empire—humans have gathered to eat food in a communal fashion.

— vikki fraser, Town & Country, "The Worst Dining Habits of All Time, Ranked," 15 Aug. 2017
Since obtaining patent approval at the end of 2016, Synesis has started designing a trial to test the effectiveness of tannin extracts in humans who use feeding tubes.

— jordan c. axelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW-Madison spinoff company trying to improve diet of patients on feeding tubes," 12 Aug. 2017
The same subtlety applies to the public’s views on how best to use genome editing in humans, a new survey of adults in the United States shows.

— jon cohen, Science | AAAS, "Americans are becoming more open to human genome editing, survey finds, but concerns remain," 10 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of human

see ¹human

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1509

See Words from the same year

human Synonyms

Synonyms

baby, being, bird, bod [British], body, character, cookie (or cooky), creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wight, son of man

Related Words

hominid, homo, humanoid; brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor; celebrity, personality, self, somebody

Near Antonyms

animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

HUMAN Defined for English Language Learners

human

adjective

Definition of human for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or affecting people
: typical of people
: having good or bad qualities that people usually have

human

noun

Definition of human for English Language Learners

: a person

HUMAN Defined for Kids

human

adjective hu·man \ ˈhyü-mən , ˈyü- \

Definition of human for Students

1 :of, being, or characteristic of people as distinct from animals

the human body

2 :having the form or characteristics of people

The expression on the dog's face was almost human.

human

noun

Definition of human for Students

:human being

—

humanlike

\ˈhyü-mən-ˌlīk, ˈyü-\ adjective

Medical Dictionary

human

adjective hu·man \ ˈhyü-mən , ˈyü- \

medical Definition of human

1 a :of, relating to, or characteristic of humans

the human body

human biochemistry

b :primarily or usually harbored by, affecting, or attacking humans

human diseases

human parasites

2 :being or consisting of humans

the human race

3 :consisting of members of the family Hominidae :hominid

—

humanness

play \-mən-nəs\ noun

human

noun

medical Definition of human

:a bipedal primate mammal of the genus Homo (H. sapiens) :man; broadly :hominid

—

humanlike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

Learn More about human

See words that rhyme with human Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for human Spanish Central: Translation of human Nglish: Translation of human for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of human for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about human

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Other Anthropology Terms

human

Definition of human

humanlike

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Origin and Etymology of human

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Synonyms

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Other Anthropology Terms

HUMAN Defined for English Language Learners

human

Definition of human for English Language Learners

human

Definition of human for English Language Learners

HUMAN Defined for Kids

human

Definition of human for Students

human

Definition of human for Students

humanlike

Medical Dictionary

human

medical Definition of human

humanness

human

medical Definition of human

humanlike

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