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

Since the administration kicked off its anti-AI doomerism social media campaign, taking particular aim at EA and its adherents’ belief that AI carries a high risk of ending humanity—anti-AI sentiment seems to have grown. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026

Anthropic and OpenAI are calling for a slowdown in the pace of model development as fears intensify that advanced AI is spinning out of human control and, unless it gets reined in, could threaten humanity or at least amplify cybersecurity attacks. — Jonathan Vanian,ari Levy, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026

This could mean hacks into electrical grids, water or transportation systems and financial institutions — attacks that might not spell the end of humanity but could cause chaos and lives lost. — Barbara Ortutay, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

At its core, this film is about people in all their complexity, contradictions and humanity. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Sep. 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