fallible: They are only human and all too fallible.
imperfect: Human beings are imperfect.
hu |man be |ing (human beings ) N‑COUNT A human being is a man, woman, or child.
hu|mane /hjuː me I n/
1 ADJ Humane people act in a kind, sympathetic way towards other people and animals, and try to do them as little harm as possible. □ In the mid-nineteenth century, Dorothea Dix began to campaign for humane treatment of the mentally ill. ● hu|mane|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Our horse had to be humanely destroyed after breaking his right foreleg.
2 ADJ Humane values and societies encourage people to act in a kind and sympathetic way towards others, even towards people they do not agree with or like. □ …the humane values of socialism.
hu|man gro wth hor|mone (human growth hormones ) N‑VAR Human growth hormone is a hormone that is used to help short people, especially short children, to grow taller. The abbreviation HGH is also used.
hu |man i n|ter|est N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] If something such as a news story has human interest , people are likely to find it interesting because it gives interesting details about the person or people involved. □ …a human interest story.
hu|man|ise /hjuː məna I z/ → see humanize
hu|man|ism /hjuː mən I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Humanism is the belief that people can achieve happiness and live well without religion. ● hu|man|ist (humanists ) N‑COUNT □ He is a practical humanist, who believes in the dignity of mankind.
hu|man|ist|ic /hjuː mən I st I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A humanistic idea, condition, or practice relates to humanism. □ Religious values can often differ greatly from humanistic morals.
hu|mani|tar|ian /hjuːmæ n I teə riən/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If a person or society has humanitarian ideas or behaviour, they try to avoid making people suffer or they help people who are suffering. □ The men were released on humanitarian grounds.
hu|mani|tari|an|ism /hjuːmæ n I teə riən I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Humanitarianism is humanitarian ideas or actions.
hu|man|ity /hjuːmæ n I ti/ (humanities )
1 N‑UNCOUNT All the people in the world can be referred to as humanity . □ They face charges of committing crimes against humanity.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [with poss] A person's humanity is their state of being a human being, rather than an animal or an object. [FORMAL ] □ …a man who's almost lost his humanity in his bitter hatred of his rivals.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Humanity is the quality of being kind, thoughtful, and sympathetic towards others. □ Her speech showed great maturity and humanity.
4 N‑PLURAL The humanities are the subjects such as history, philosophy, and literature which are concerned with human ideas and behaviour. □ …students majoring in the humanities.
hu|man|ize /hjuː məna I z/ (humanizes , humanizing , humanized ) in BRIT, also use humanise VERB If you humanize a situation or condition, you improve it by changing it in a way which makes it more suitable and pleasant for people. □ [V n] Jo Robinson began by humanizing the waiting time at the health centre with tea-making and toys for children.
human|kind /hjuː mənka I nd/ N‑UNCOUNT Humankind is the same as mankind .
hu|man|ly /hjuː mənli/ PHRASE If something is humanly possible , it is possible for people to do it. □ She has gained a reputation for creating books as perfect as is humanly possible.
hu |man na |ture N‑UNCOUNT Human nature is the natural qualities and ways of behaviour that most people have. □ It seems to be human nature to worry.
hu |man ra ce N‑SING The human race is the same as mankind . □ Can the human race carry on expanding and growing the same way that it is now?
hu |man re|sou rces N‑UNCOUNT In a company or other organization, the department of human resources is the department with responsibility for the recruiting, training, and welfare of the staff. The abbreviation HR is often used. [BUSINESS ]
hu |man ri ghts ◆◇◇ N‑PLURAL Human rights are basic rights which many societies believe that all people should have.
hu |man shie ld N‑SING If a group of people are used as a human shield in a battle or war, they are put in a particular place so that the enemy will be unwilling to attack that place and harm them.
hum|ble /hʌ mb ə l/ (humbler , humblest , humbles , humbling , humbled )
1 ADJ A humble person is not proud and does not believe that they are better than other people. □ He gave a great performance, but he was very humble. ● hum|bly ADV [ADV with v] □ 'I'm a lucky man, undeservedly lucky,' he said humbly.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] People with low social status are sometimes described as humble . □ Spyros Latsis started his career as a humble fisherman in the Aegean.
3 ADJ A humble place or thing is ordinary and not special in any way. □ There are restaurants, both humble and expensive, that specialize in them.
4 ADJ People use humble in a phrase such as in my humble opinion as a polite way of emphasizing what they think, even though they do not feel humble about it. [POLITENESS ] □ It is, in my humble opinion, perhaps the best steak restaurant in Great Britain. ● hum|bly ADV [ADV before v] □ So may I humbly suggest we all do something next time.
5 PHRASE If you eat humble pie , you speak or behave in a way which tells people that you admit you were wrong about something. □ Anson was forced to eat humble pie and publicly apologise to her.
6 VERB If you humble someone who is more important or powerful than you, you defeat them easily. □ [V n] …the little car company that humbled the industry giants.