humanity

humanity — noun

1. All people on Earth, considered together as a single group — especially when tal

1.nounB1
Definition

All people on Earth, considered together as a single group — especially when talking about the shared situation, achievements, or future of everyone in the world.

Example

The invention of the printing press changed the course of humanity.

collocation: 'the course of humanity' as a fixed phrase

Sumin believes that art speaks to something deep within all of humanity.

collocation: 'all of humanity' meaning every human being

Common collocations
  • the whole of humanity
  • all of humanity
  • the future of humanity
  • the course of humanity
Synonyms
  • humankind

    gender-neutral alternative to 'mankind'; interchangeable with 'humanity' in formal writing

  • mankind

    older term, now considered less inclusive; common in fixed expressions like 'for all mankind'

  • people

    far more general; can refer to any group, not necessarily the entire human race

Grammar Patterns

humanity + singular verb

all of humanity

the whole of humanity

Common Mistakes

The humanity of this country must unite.
The people of this country must unite.
'Humanity' refers to all humans worldwide, not a single nation's population.
A humanity was standing on the street corner.
A person was standing on the street corner.
'Humanity' is a collective mass noun, not a countable noun for an individual.

2. Kindness and care shown towards other people, especially those who are suffering

2.nounB2
Definition

Kindness and care shown towards other people, especially those who are suffering or in a weaker position than you.

Example

The nurse treated every patient with great humanity, regardless of their background.

collocation: 'treated with humanity'

Even in wartime, there must be some basic humanity shown to prisoners.

Common collocations
  • treat with humanity
  • show humanity
  • act of humanity
  • gesture of humanity
  • basic humanity
Synonyms
  • compassion

    emphasises empathy and a desire to relieve suffering; slightly more emotional than 'humanity'

  • humane-ness

    less common; focuses on not causing unnecessary pain

  • kindness

    broader and more everyday; can describe small friendly acts

Antonyms
  • cruelty

    deliberate causing of pain or suffering to others

  • inhumanity

    the opposite quality — lack of kindness or compassion

Grammar Patterns

show/treat with/display humanity

humanity toward(s) someone

Usage Note

Commonly paired with verbs such as 'show', 'display', 'treat with', and nouns like 'act', 'gesture', 'sense of'.

Common Mistakes

The government's humanity program helped refugees.
The government's humanitarian program helped refugees.
'Humanity' is a personal quality, not a type of policy; use 'humanitarian' for aid or relief efforts.
She has a lot of humanity for animals.
She has a lot of compassion for animals.
For non-human recipients, 'compassion' or 'kindness' is more natural.

3. The qualities and experiences of being a living person that set humans apart fro

3.nounB2
Definition

The qualities and experiences of being a living person that set humans apart from gods, animals, and machines.

Example

What makes us different from machines is our shared humanity.

collocation: 'shared humanity' as a frequent phrase

The novel explores the dark side of humanity through its complex characters.

Common collocations
  • shared humanity
  • common humanity
  • our humanity
  • the dignity of humanity
Synonyms
  • human nature

    focuses on inborn characteristics and tendencies; slightly less lofty than 'humanity'

  • the human condition

    emphasises the experiences and struggles shared by all people

  • personhood

    legal or philosophical term for the status of being a person

Antonyms
  • divinity

    the quality of being a god or goddess

  • animality

    the quality of being an animal, often contrasted with reason or morality

Grammar Patterns

possessive determiner + humanity (e.g., our humanity, shared humanity)

the + noun + of humanity

Usage Note

Often preceded by a possessive determiner ('our humanity', 'her humanity', 'shared humanity') to emphasise that the quality belongs to a person or group of people.

Common Mistakes

His humanity made him feel hungry.
His human nature made him feel hungry.
Basic physical needs like hunger are described by 'human nature', not 'humanity'.

❌ 'Humanity is a difficult subject to study.' (ambiguous) — This sentence could mean sense 1, 3, or 4. Use 'the human condition' for sense 3 to avoid confusion.

4. Academic subjects that study human culture, ideas, and expression — including li

4.nounB2
Definition

Academic subjects that study human culture, ideas, and expression — including literature, philosophy, history, languages, and the arts — typically contrasted with the natural sciences and social sciences.

Example

Emily decided to major in the humanities rather than engineering.

plural form: 'the humanities' with definite article

A well-rounded education should include both science and the humanities.

Common collocations
  • the humanities
  • humanities department
  • humanities degree
  • faculty of humanities
  • study the humanities
Synonyms
  • liberal arts

    broader term that sometimes includes social sciences; common in US education

  • arts subjects

    used mainly in British education to contrast with sciences

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the humanities + plural verb

study/read/major in the humanities

Usage Note

Almost always used in the plural form 'the humanities' with the definite article. Compare with 'the sciences' (natural sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology) and 'the social sciences' (such as sociology, economics, political science). Do not confuse this sense with 'humanity' (uncountable), which means people in general.

Common Mistakes

I am studying humanity at university.' (when referring to the academic field).
I am studying the humanities at university.
The academic field is always plural: 'the humanities'.
Humanity is my favourite subject.' (ambiguous).
The humanities are my favourite field of study.
Use the plural verb form 'are' and the definite article.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Humanity is the broadest and most neutral term for all human beings on Earth; it carries no gender implication and is suitable in any context — formal, informal, scientific, or literary. Humankind is a deliberate gender-neutral alternative to mankind, widely adopted in modern academic and formal writing since the late 20th century. Mankind was the traditional default for centuries but is now often avoided because it implies men rather than all people; it survives mainly in fixed expressions ('for all mankind') and older texts where the gender bias is less noticeable. People is far more general: it can refer to any group of humans (a nation, a community, a crowd), not necessarily the entire species. For example: 'Space exploration benefits all of humanity' (natural, neutral). 'The survival of humankind depends on our choices' (formal, neutral). 'One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind' (fixed phrase, dated tone). 'The people of Taiwan voted yesterday' (local group, not the whole species).

humanity ↗humankind ↗mankind ↗people ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the future of humanity
  • the fate of humanity
  • the dignity of humanity
  • the history of humanity

Adverbs

Phrases

  • all of humanity
  • the whole of humanity
  • the rest of humanity

Prepositions

  • of humanity
  • to humanity
  • for humanity
  • within humanity

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Humanity comes from the Latin word 'humanitas', which meant both 'human nature' and 'kindness' or 'refinement'. It was formed from 'humanus' ('human'). The word passed into English through Old French 'humanité' in the 1300s. The earliest English sense was 'kindness' (now sense 2), followed by 'the human race' (sense 1) in the 1400s. The meaning 'the condition of being human' (sense 3) developed in the 1500s. The academic sense 'the humanities' (sense 4) dates from the 1600s, when European universities began grouping non-scientific subjects as 'the humanities'.