Word
humanity
Meanings
kindness, compassion, and respect for others, especially when it is hard to show
all human beings considered as a group
the study of human culture and ideas, such as literature, history, and philosophy (often plural: humanities)
Definition
Humanity is the quality of being kind, compassionate, and understanding toward others.
Humanity refers to compassionate, respectful behavior that recognizes other people’s dignity. It is often used to describe kindness shown in difficult situations. It can also mean all human beings collectively, especially when talking about shared problems or responsibilities.
Examples
- Even under intense pressure, she treated the interns with genuine humanity.
- The documentary argues that humanity must cooperate to address climate risks.
- After the disaster, they were moved by the quiet humanity of volunteers working through the night.
- I sometimes lose patience, but I try to respond with humanity instead of sarcasm.
- In his lectures, he connects political theory to humanity and everyday moral choices.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse humanity (kindness or all people) with humanism (a specific philosophy) and use them interchangeably.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More nouns
- fascism Fascism is an extreme right-wing political system with a powerful dictator, strong nationalism, and…
- gaslighting Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that makes someone doubt their own memory, judg…
- narcissist A narcissist is someone who is excessively self-centered and craves admiration while showing little…
- empathy Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings.
- metaphor A metaphor is a way of describing something by saying it is something else to create a clear image …