- [only before noun] of or connected with people rather than animals, machines or gods
- the human body/brain
- a terrible loss of human life
- human development/activity/behaviour
- Human remains (= the body of a dead person) were found inside the house.
- Contact with other people is a basic human need.
- This food is not fit for human consumption.
- one of the greatest leaders in human history
- He tried to use a bystander as a human shield.
- Firefighters formed a human chain (= a line of people) to carry the children to safety.
- After washing her face, she felt almost human (= like her normal self) again.
Definitions on the go
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- showing the weaknesses and desires that are typical of people, which means that other people should not criticize the person too much
- human weaknesses/failings
- It's only human to want the best for your children.
- having the same feelings and emotions as most ordinary people
- He's really very human when you get to know him.
- Perhaps she's human after all, he thought.
- The public is always attracted to politicians who have the human touch (= the ability to make ordinary people feel relaxed when they meet them).
compare inhuman, non-human
Word Originlate Middle English humaine, from Old French humain(e), from Latin humanus, from homo ‘man, human being’. The present spelling became usual in the 18th cent.; compare with humane.
Idioms
See human in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee human in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishthe human face of…
- a person who is involved in a subject, issue, etc. and makes it easier for ordinary people to understand and have sympathy with it
- He is the human face of party politics.
the milk of human kindness
- (literary) kind behaviour, considered to be natural to humans
with a human face
- that considers the needs of ordinary people
- This was science with a human face.
Check pronunciation:
human