humanoid

1 of 2

adjective

hu·​man·​oid ˈhyü-mə-ˌnȯid How to pronounce humanoid (audio) ˈyü- How to pronounce humanoid (audio)
: 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
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.
Adjective
Sticking with robotics: Club name Nvidia and Foxconn are in discussions about deploying humanoid robots at the contract manufacturer's factory in Houston that's set to produce Nvidia AI servers, Reuters reported . Zev Fima, CNBC, 20 June 2025 The company started testing humanoid robots at a Seattle warehouse in 2023. Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 18 June 2025
Noun
After two years of trial, error and persistence, an Italian robotics team finally watched as its humanoid bot did what it was designed to do — take to the air. Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025 In terms of humanoids, Xusheng can supply casting and torso structural parts, the analysts said. Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 22 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for humanoid

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1918, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of humanoid was in 1870

Cite this Entry

“Humanoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humanoid. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

humanoid

adjective
hu·​man·​oid ˈhyü-mə-ˌnȯid How to pronounce humanoid (audio)
ˈyü-
: having human form or characteristics
humanoid noun

Medical Definition

humanoid

adjective
hu·​man·​oid ˈhyü-mə-ˌnȯid How to pronounce humanoid (audio) ˈyü- How to pronounce humanoid (audio)
: having human form or characteristics
humanoid dentition
humanoid noun

More from Merriam-Webster on humanoid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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