humanly

adverb

hu·​man·​ly ˈhyü-mən-lē How to pronounce humanly (audio)
ˈyü-
1
a
: with regard to human needs and emotions
provide humanly for those who are not needed in the economyE. F. Bacon
b
: with regard to or in keeping with human proneness to error or weakness
humanly inaccurate
2
a
: from a human viewpoint
humanly speaking, the process works … like thisElizabeth Janeway
b
: within the range of human capacity
did everything humanly possible
c
: by humans
humanly made

Examples of humanly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Reform Judaism is based on the idea that both the Bible and the laws of the oral Torah are divinely inspired, but humanly constructed, meaning they should be adapted based on contemporary moral ideals. Joshua Shanes, Fortune, 19 June 2023 Spousal relationships are humanly made and also can be humanly terminated. Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2023 Oh, just Jr NTR's flipping of a full-sized motorcycle with a single kick, characters' leaping humanly impossible distances through the air and the outrunning of tigers and other wild animals upon their unleashing. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2023 The amount of work required of our caregivers is humanly impossible. Chakri Toleti, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022 And Austin captures it so truthfully, but also humanly. Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2022 Earlier this week, Houston Public Works launched a water conservation campaign encouraging Houstonians to save water as much as humanly possible. Kennedy Sessions, Chron, 8 Apr. 2023 To her credit, VanOrman ended her questioning as fast as humanly possible. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Mar. 2023 It’s heightened, cinematic and about as epic as humanly possible. Charles Taylor, Forbes, 9 Feb. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of humanly was in 1581

Dictionary Entries Near humanly

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

humanly

adverb
hu·​man·​ly ˈhyü-mən-lē How to pronounce humanly (audio)
ˈyü-
1
: within the range of human ability
a task not humanly possible
2
: of or concerning human needs or emotions
deal humanly with the poor
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