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
C. G. Bowers2
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
Maurice Bowra
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
But rather than viewing the end of mankind as the end of the world, Shelley examines the extinction of humanity on an Earth that keeps on living.
—Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
These ethereal chronicles are about ancestry and belonging, the haunted house of American history, murder and guilt and the longing for a superhero balanced against the luminous reality of vulnerable humanity.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
His lyrics, philosophy, and vision of humanity and our place in the cosmos will touch generations to come.
—USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
So to save the the future of humanity from AI, Atlas, in the latest teaser trailer, learns to trust AI.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
But her distrust of AIs, presumably built from chasing Harlan — originally created to advance humanity but now exists to destroy it — prevails.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
But there’s another potential source of the copper, nickel, aluminum, and rare-earth minerals needed to stabilize the climate: the mountain of electronic waste humanity discards each year.
—Maddie Stone / Grist, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
In case after case, humanity returned the favor by successively destroying the forests, first in the Middle East, and Mediterranean, then in Europe and North America, all in our quest for building materials, fuel, open farm lands, and, quite importantly, masts.
—Eugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024
Once again, Crutzen stressed how fortunate humanity had been so far.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
These ethereal chronicles are about ancestry and belonging, the haunted house of American history, murder and guilt and the longing for a superhero balanced against the luminous reality of vulnerable humanity.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
His lyrics, philosophy, and vision of humanity and our place in the cosmos will touch generations to come.
—USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
So to save the the future of humanity from AI, Atlas, in the latest teaser trailer, learns to trust AI.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
But her distrust of AIs, presumably built from chasing Harlan — originally created to advance humanity but now exists to destroy it — prevails.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
But there’s another potential source of the copper, nickel, aluminum, and rare-earth minerals needed to stabilize the climate: the mountain of electronic waste humanity discards each year.
—Maddie Stone / Grist, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
In case after case, humanity returned the favor by successively destroying the forests, first in the Middle East, and Mediterranean, then in Europe and North America, all in our quest for building materials, fuel, open farm lands, and, quite importantly, masts.
—Eugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024
Once again, Crutzen stressed how fortunate humanity had been so far.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'humanity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Humanity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humanity. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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