human

1 of 2

adjective

hu·​man ˈhyü-mən How to pronounce human (audio)
ˈyü-
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of humans (see human entry 2)
the human brain
human voices
problems that have occurred throughout human history
2
: consisting of or involving humans
everyone held hands and made a human chain
human interactions
human spaceflight
3
a
: having human form or attributes
the statue is more human than the beings at his feetClifton Fadiman
b
: representative of or susceptible to the sympathies and frailties of human nature
human kindness
a human weakness
such an inconsistency is very humanP. E. More
humanness noun

human

2 of 2

noun

: a bipedal primate mammal (Homo sapiens) : a person : man sense 1c
usually plural
a disease that affects both humans and animals
incomprehensible to us humansWilliam James
broadly : hominid
the least developed of all ancestral humans A. L. Kroeber
humanlike adjective

Examples of human in a Sentence

Adjective 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. Noun humans are the only mammals not endowed with a natural defense against the elements, such as fur or a thick hide
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Similarly, in the sense that both approaches are human, muscular emotional approaches. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024 However, the quantities of chemicals released into a waterbody are not an indicator of risks to human health because these quantities alone do not indicate the extent of exposure to these chemicals, according to the EPA. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2024 More than a decade in the making, Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is unleashing its wheeled robots into the center of car culture with a machine devoid of the distinctly human emotions of road rage and commuter manners. Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Starship is set to play a key role in NASA’s upcoming crewed missions to the moon, beginning with Artemis 3—set to make the first human lunar landing since 1972—and Artemis 4. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 The planning engine explores countless ways forward, integrating many different assumptions about the human players’ allegiances and potential for betrayal. Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 Studies show the antioxidants found in teas may be able to prevent and treat human diseases like cardiovascular disease (CVD) and may also have anti-aging and anti-diabetic properties. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Lee again noted his concerns about human and drug trafficking, in addition to deaths of migrants attempting to cross the border. Melissa Brown, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Both touching and funny, ENGLISH offers a revelatory glimpse into the human desire to belong. The Enquirer, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
Orcas are the great white shark's only predator, aside from humans. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Vinod Khosla and Marc Andreessen, both founders turned investors, spent part of their weekends debating each other on whether the pursuit of artificial general intelligence—the idea that a machine could become as smart as a human—should be open-source. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 Red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus – These bold perching birds will aggressively defend nests, even swooping at humans walking close by. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The closure comes as several departments and agencies — including those for employment development, environmental protection and health and human services — call their employees back to the office twice per week. Maya Miller, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 But the volume is comparable to what a human would hear at about 330 feet away from an airplane taking off, the museum said. Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024 Pets, too, are being included in the surveys, though veterinarians say overall the biggest effect on their behavior will not be the sudden darkness, but rather the behavior of the humans around them. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024 The first thing to consider is that fruit flies are very different from us humans. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Unlike the automatic breathing of humans, orcas must actively choose when to breathe. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

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

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1509, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of human was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near human

Cite this Entry

“Human.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/human. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

human

1 of 2 adjective
hu·​man ˈhyü-mən How to pronounce human (audio)
ˈyü-
1
: relating to or characteristic of human beings
especially : showing qualities typical of human beings
a human failing
2
: consisting of human beings
the human race
3
: having human form or characteristics
the dog's expression was almost human
humanness noun

human

2 of 2 noun
: a human being
humanlike adjective

Medical Definition

human

1 of 2 adjective
hu·​man ˈhyü-mən How to pronounce human (audio) ˈyü- How to pronounce human (audio)
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 genus Homo
humanness noun

human

2 of 2 noun
: a bipedal primate mammal of the genus Homo (H. sapiens)
broadly : any living or extinct member of the genus Homo
humanlike adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on human

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