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human 1 of 2

adjective

ˈhyü-mən How to pronounce human (audio)
Definition of humannext
as in natural
relating to or characteristic of human beings it's human nature to care about what people think of us

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

human

2 of 2

noun

as in person
a member of the human race humans are the only mammals not endowed with a natural defense against the elements, such as fur or a thick hide

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of human
Adjective
The animal was far from sprinting, instead taking a relaxed stroll at a speed surprisingly comparable to a human walking briskly to catch a bus. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026 The human residents of this de-urbanizing city live a hybrid life, part modern, part ancient. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Noun
The human-versus-robot matchup takes the concept a step further. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026 When his grandfather was mauled by a leopard caught in a trap set for an impala, however, Mgesi began to feel that the dangers of hunting wildlife outweighed its benefits for humans. — Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for human
Recent Examples of Synonyms for human
  1. natural
  2. person
  3. mortal
  4. life
  5. man
  6. guy
  7. creature
  8. individual
Adjective
  • She's talked publicly about how the New Zealand coastal aesthetic and the California one felt like natural relatives.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
  • When a sensor detected movement in a rat’s front paw, another device was automatically activated to stimulate a hind-leg muscle, producing a contraction that mimicked part of the animal’s natural walking motion.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of natural
Noun
  • Normally in a Housewives fight like this, the person getting caught would be defensive or fire back twice as hard, but Vicki simply doesn’t care.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • But, no offense, the most popular person in the stadium on Saturday afternoon will be the Sheriff himself, Peyton Manning, who will be in attendance to watch his nephew Arch Manning square off against his beloved Tennessee Vols.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of person
Adjective
  • Mnemosyne tries to cheer him up by pointing out that the poet can show the permanent and divine in what is apparently transient and mortal.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Police then found his landlord’s body elsewhere in the house with mortal wounds.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of mortal
Noun
  • Lithium-ion is typically replaced or augmented every seven to ten years, at 8,000 to 10,000 cycles, and an Aqueous Metal Cell installation is designed to run the full life of the project around it.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Rather than insisting that these whales continue with their life, which is a human decision, perhaps they should be allowed to die gracefully and respectfully on their own.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of life
Noun
  • Thin partitions marked an early attempt to slice the space into smaller rooms, but the original brick walls remained bare, shivering with cobwebs, where someone had pasted a picture of a man, holy hands bracketing a redbrick heart.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • People arrested at these checkpoints have virtually no legal recourse and many young men have subsequently been forced into the military.
    — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of man
Noun
  • Then Leigh noticed a skinny guy clad in a ratty Daniel Johnston T-shirt, his hair a feral mess.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • There’s more pressure on a guy who’s explicitly out there to fair-catch the ball.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of guy
Noun
  • One of the villain’s henchmen was a small, shaggy blue creature with a long drooping snout and a sour expression that lived in a cigar box.
    — Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
  • With every whimper, sigh, howl, bark and head tilt, these dogs create an empathetic portrayal of a highly intelligent creature that has been through battle and has the scars (and nightmares) to prove it.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of creature
Noun
  • It’s been commonly accepted that American corporations and individuals pay for young associates with prestigious credentials an alarmingly high billable hour to complete non-legal tasks.
    — Logan Brown, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Although Iran’s leading pharmaceutical firms are not themselves under sanctions, several of the largest are connected to sanctioned charitable conglomerates or to sanctioned individuals.
    — Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of individual

Phrases Containing human

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hum
human
human being
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Cite this Entry

“Human.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/human. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on human

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about human

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