put a human face on

idiom

: to make (something) more appealing, easier to understand, or easier to care about by connecting it to an actual person
The author puts a human face on the disease by interviewing people who have it.

Examples of put a human face on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The panels were dedicated to people who had died of HIV/AIDS, presenting a searing portrait of collective grief that was designed to put a human face on the statistics. David Montgomery, Washington Post, 7 Dec. 2020 Travel writer Susan Glaser put a human face on the torment those cancelations caused and explained how Southwest’s poor management practices are at the center of them. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 5 Jan. 2023 To put a human face on the growing American divide leading into the 2016 election, the Kramer brothers filmed liberal CNN commentator Van Jones going into the homes of Trump supporters in Pennsylvania for a bridge-building dialogue. Richard Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023 In addition to making an economic case for expansion, advocates have tried to put a human face on the problem of the uninsured by enlisting ordinary South Dakotans to tell their stories. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2022 One of Conis’s greatest achievements is to put a human face on this science of risk. Scott W. Stern, The New Republic, 31 May 2022 State of the Union guests help put a human face on a president's message for both policymakers and viewers at home. CNN, 27 Feb. 2022 There are certain things leaders can do to try to put a human face on data. Ashley Howard Neville, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023 To go beneath the statistics and put a human face on homelessness, Kidder focuses on one of O’Connell’s patients, Anthony Columbo, a large, affable man who grew up in Boston’s tough North End. Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'put a human face on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near put a human face on

Cite this Entry

“Put a human face on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put%20a%20human%20face%20on. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!