humanities
humanities Lexical Profile
humanities Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Academic disciplines that study aspects of human society, culture, and creative expression—such as literature, history, philosophy, languages, and the arts—as distinguished from the natural and empirical sciences.
"She decided to major in the humanities because of her deep passion for classical literature and philosophy."
Classical scholarship focused on ancient Greek and Latin language, literature, and antiquity.
"During the Renaissance, university curricula shifted heavily toward the humanities and the recovery of ancient Roman texts."
Attributes, qualities, or acts characteristic of human nature, especially benevolence, compassion, or shared human experiences (plural of humanity).
"The novel explores the shared humanities that bind ordinary people together across different eras."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to academic disciplines (usually preceded by 'the'), 'humanities' is a plural-form noun that typically takes a plural verb (e.g., 'The humanities are essential to a well-rounded education').
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Renaissance Latin expression 'studia humanitatis' (study of humanity), popularized by 15th-century Italian humanists to denote secular literary and philosophical scholarship in contrast to divine theology.