I. hu ‧ man 1 S2 W1 /ˈhjuːmən/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ human , ↑ humanism , ↑ humanity ≠ ↑ inhumanity , ↑ humanitarian , ↑ humanitarianism , ↑ humankind , ↑ humanoid ; adjective : ↑ human ≠ ↑ inhuman , ↑ superhuman , ↑ subhuman , ↑ humane ≠ ↑ inhumane , ↑ humanitarian , ↑ humanoid ; adverb : ↑ humanly ≠ ↑ inhumanly , ↑ humanely ≠ ↑ inhumanely ; verb : ↑ humanize ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: humain , from Latin humanus ]
1 . belonging to or relating to people, especially as opposed to machines or animals:
There are many different cell types in the human body.
the power of the human mind
The desire for joy lies deep within the human spirit.
Infra-red light is invisible to the human eye.
theories of human behaviour
different areas of human experience
respect for the absolute value of human life
The accident was the result of human error.
The meat was declared unfit for human consumption.
2 . human weaknesses, emotions etc are those that are typical of people:
He was also a person with very obvious human failings.
3 . somebody is only human used to say that someone should not be blamed for what they have done
4 . having the same feelings and emotions as ordinary people:
He’s really not so bad. When you get to know him he seems quite human.
5 . a/the human touch someone, especially someone in authority, who has the human touch deals with people in a kind friendly way and is able to understand their feelings and problems:
The president has been accused of lacking the human touch.
6 . human interest a quality that makes a story interesting because it is about people’s feelings, lives, relationships etc
7 . the human condition the experiences, emotions, needs etc that all people share, especially considered as a situation from which it is impossible to escape
8 . human chain a line of people:
Firefighters formed a human chain to carry the brothers to safety.
9 . put a human face on something ( also give something a human face ) to make an important event or principle understandable to ordinary people by directing their attention to the way it affects a particular person:
Anne Frank was the girl whose diary put a human face on the Holocaust.
10 . capitalism/communism/socialism etc with a human face a capitalist etc economic and political system that does not ignore people’s needs
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COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ the human body
The diagram shows all the organs in the human body.
▪ the human mind/brain
Distances in space are too great for the human mind to comprehend.
▪ the human spirit
Our capacity for forgiveness is a triumph of the human spirit.
▪ the human eye (=used especially when saying that something cannot be seen by people)
These creatures are too small for the human eye to see.
▪ human life
I firmly believe in the sanctity of all human life.
▪ human health
Toxic waste is a risk to human health and the environment.
▪ human behaviour British English , human behavior American English
We study the aspects of human behaviour that result from our social upbringing.
▪ human activity
Our research measured the impact of human activity on this particular eco-system.
▪ human relationships
Trust is an essential ingredient in all human relationships.
▪ human society
In every human society there is a struggle for power.
▪ the human population
The UN estimates that the human population will reach 9.1 billion by 2050.
▪ human error
Investigators concluded that the crash was caused by human error.
▪ human needs (=the things people need to have in order to live a normal healthy comfortable life)
The islanders meet the universal basic human needs of food and shelter in unexpected ways.
▪ human remains (=the body of someone who has died)
The police found human remains in the basement.
■ phrases
▪ for human consumption/habitation (=to be eaten/lived in by people)
This meat is not fit for human consumption.
II. human 2 W3 BrE AmE ( also ˌhuman ˈbeing ) noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ human , ↑ humanism , ↑ humanity ≠ ↑ inhumanity , ↑ humanitarian , ↑ humanitarianism , ↑ humankind , ↑ humanoid ; adjective : ↑ human ≠ ↑ inhuman , ↑ superhuman , ↑ subhuman , ↑ humane ≠ ↑ inhumane , ↑ humanitarian , ↑ humanoid ; adverb : ↑ humanly ≠ ↑ inhumanly , ↑ humanely ≠ ↑ inhumanely ; verb : ↑ humanize ]
a person
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THESAURUS
▪ human/human being a person:
The monkeys show no fear of humans.
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It was thought that the disease could not be passed to human beings.
▪ the human race all the people in the world, considered as one group:
War and aggression threaten the future of the whole human race.
▪ humanity people in general – used especially when you are talking about people’s rights, or their suffering etc:
The general was accused of committing crimes against humanity.
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30% of humanity live in conditions of terrible poverty.
▪ mankind/humankind people in general – used especially when talking about their history and development. Some people prefer not to use mankind because it sounds like it does not include women:
Travelling into space was a great advance for mankind.
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The greatest threat to humankind is poverty.
▪ man people in general – used especially when you are talking about people compared to nature. Some people prefer not to use man because it sounds like it does not include women:
The grandeur of the mountains is a constant reminder of man’s insignificance.