humanoid

1 of 2

adjective

hu·​man·​oid ˈhyü-mə-ˌnȯid  ˈyü- 

: having human form or characteristics

humanoid dentition

humanoid robots

humanoid

2 of 2

noun

plural humanoids

: a humanoid being : a nonhuman creature or being with characteristics (such as the ability to walk upright) resembling those of a human

Why do people respond so strongly to penguins? First, they stand straight and walk upright, like us, so we see them as little humanoids—a convention of headwaiters, ten thousand nuns, plump babies in snowsuits.

—Diane Ackerman

Those tales of the deep blended narratives of voyages of exploration … with fantastic additions drawn from an ancient repertoire of sea monsters and mutant humanoids.

—Simon Schama

Did you know?

A humanoid robot, sometimes called an android, is a robot that resembles a human. Accounts of the yeti, Sasquatch, and Bigfoot continue to fascinate us mainly because of their humanoid characteristics. The idea of creating a monstrous humanoid, such as the Jewish golem or Victor Frankenstein's creation, has intrigued us for centuries. "Humanoid Animation" is a standard for creating humanlike figures for video that lets the same figure be used in a variety of 3-D games—some of which have nothing but humanoids for characters.

Examples of humanoid in a Sentence

Adjective

The movie is about humanoid aliens invading Earth.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Photograph: Horacio Villalobos/Getty Images Later this year, Boston Dynamics plans to put its all-electric humanoid Atlas robot to work in a Hyundai factory. —Russell Brandom, Wired News, 1 May 2025

Amid rising competition globally, Musk has pivoted from his promise of making a new affordable EV platform to rolling out driverless taxis and humanoid robots, highlighting Tesla's future as an AI and robotics company instead of an automaker. —Abhirup Roy and Bipasha Dey, USA Today, 1 May 2025

Noun

To be sure, Wall Street estimates on humanoids continue to vary (see CNBC’s previous reporting here) . —Pia Singh, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025

As humanoids become more sophisticated, public interest is likely to only increase. —Anton Alikov, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1918, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1870, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for humanoid

• adenoid
• alkaloid
• amoeboid
• amyloid
• aneroid
• anthropoid
• arachnoid
• asteroid
• benzenoid
• carcinoid
• celluloid
• coronoid

Kids Definition

humanoid

adjective

hu·​man·​oid ˈhyü-mə-ˌnȯid 

ˈyü-

: having human form or characteristics

humanoid noun

Medical Definition

humanoid

adjective

hu·​man·​oid ˈhyü-mə-ˌnȯid  ˈyü- 

: having human form or characteristics

humanoid dentition

humanoid noun