hominin

noun

hom·​i·​nin ˈhä-mə-nən How to pronounce hominin (audio)
-ˌnin
: any of a taxonomic tribe (Hominini) of hominids that includes recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms

Examples of hominin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Whatever hominin Pink ends up being, their final resting place highlights humanity’s complex, interconnected evolutionary journey to today. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2025 Australopithecus was a hominin—a human-like mammal—that walked on two legs but had smaller brains than Neanderthals and modern humans. Hatty Willmoth, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025 Our large brains helped to solve the complex problem of primitive survival, and interpersonal relationships and altruism might have given us a strong advantage over other hominins. Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2024 Join 2 others in the comments View Comments The finding suggests that hominins were capable of critical thinking and innovative craftsmanship, but scientists are still trying to figure out who exactly made the tools. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hominin

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Hominini, from Homin-, Homo + -ini, tribe suffix, from Latin -inus -ine entry 1

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hominin was in 1989

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hominin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hominin. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

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