humanity

noun

hu·​man·​i·​ty hyü-ˈma-nə-tē 

yü-

plural humanities

1

: compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition : the quality or state of being humane

… bespeaking humanity for the enemy in the midst of a bloody struggle.

—C. G. Bowers

2

a

: the quality or state of being human

joined together by their common humanity

b

humanities plural : human attributes or qualities

His work has the ripeness of the 18th century, and its rough humanities …

—Pamela H. Johnson

3

humanities plural : the branches of learning (such as philosophy, arts, or languages) that investigate human constructs (see construct entry 2 sense 1a) and concerns as opposed to natural processes (as in physics or chemistry) and social relations (as in anthropology or economics)

4

: the totality of human beings : the human race : humankind

… a fierce compassion for the woes of humanity.

—Maurice Bowra

Synonyms of humanity

• world
• people

Examples of humanity in a Sentence

We appealed to his sense of humanity.

These discoveries will be of benefit to all humanity.

She was cut off from the rest of humanity.

the college of arts and humanities

He's taking courses in both the sciences and the humanities.

Recent Examples on the Web

Losing more ground in the fight against climate change, humanity is heading for a hotter world than experts projected last year — and the United States is a big reason for that, a new United Nations report says. — Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Sanders-esque warnings about AI threatening humanity weren’t a focal point, suggesting the DSA camp that’s more focused on mitigating present harms is setting the terms of the conversation, at least in New York. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026

If that is impossible for systems much larger than atoms, many of humanity’s current technological efforts would be wasted. — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Going too slow also brings the risk of missing out on AI’s potential to help develop groundbreaking new solutions that could benefit humanity. — Elisa Mallis, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see human entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing humanity

• crime against humanity

Rhymes for humanity

• inanity
• insanity
• profanity
• urbanity
• christianity
• inhumanity
• sanity
• vanity

Kids Definition

humanity

noun

hu·​man·​i·​ty hyü-ˈman-ət-ē 

yü-

plural humanities

1

: the quality or state of being human or of being humane

2

plural : studies (as literature, history, and art) concerned primarily with human culture

3

: the whole collection of human beings both past and present