Humanitarian Meaning
/hjʊˌmæ.nɪˈtɛː.ɹɪ.ən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjRelating to people's welfare.
adjRelating to people's welfare., Being compassionate or humane.
Sentence Examples
We have supplied humanitarian aid to refugees.
Tom is a humanitarian.
The organization provided humanitarian aid to the victims of the earthquake.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the devastating earthquake, many international ____ organizations provided food and medicine.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The famous singer is well known for her extensive ____ work in developing countries.
Word Origin & History
From humanity + -arian (suffix indicating an advocate of or believer in something), possibly modelled after Unitarian (“Christian who does not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity; pertaining to Unitarianism”) (see noun sense 2 and verb sense 2).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"So far as the followers of Jesus have woven the humanitarian teachings of their master into the living fibre of their own daily lives, the Christian religion has been a blessing and a civilizer."
— 1871 July, James G. Clark, Dogmatic and Real Religion. […], [Syracuse, N.Y.]: Syracuse Radical Club, →OCLC, page 3:
"But though personified, the function of Wisdom is mainly humanitarian: her delights are with the sons of men (Prov[erbs] viii. 31, 32)."
— 1909, J[ohn] A[llen] F[itzgerald] Gregg, “Introduction”, in A[lexander] F[rancis] Kirkpatrick, editor, The Wisdom of Solomon: […] (The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, →OCLC, page xxxii:
"There are three divisions into which the purposes of the hospital may be classed: Humanitarian, educational and scientific. The humanitarian relates to the care of the sick."
— 1914 January 16, William Henry Welch, “Present Position of Medical Education, Its Development and Great Needs for the Future”, in Walter C. Burket, editor, Papers and Addresses by William Henry Welch: In Three Volumes, volume III, Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins Press, published 1920, →OCLC, page 115:
"If a Protecting Power has not been designated or accepted from the beginning of a situation referred to in Article 1, the International Committee of the Red Cross, without prejudice to the right of any other impartial humanitarian organization to do likewise, shall offer its good offices to the Parties to the conflict with a view to the designation without delay of a Protecting Power to which the Parties to the conflict consent."
— 1977 June 8, “Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977”, in International Committee of the Red Cross, archived from the original on 01 Aug 2020, article 5(3):
"The devastating effect of the violence is illustrated by the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that caused deaths, homelessness, despair, poverty, political instability, and economic stagnation in this country."
— 2007, Gabriel Andrew Msoka, “General Conclusion”, in Basic Human Rights and the Humanitarian Crises in Sub-Saharan Africa: Ethical Reflections (Princeton Theological Monograph Series; 74), Eugene, Or.: Pickwick Publications, Wipf and Stock Publishers, →ISBN, page 169:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the devastating earthquake, many international ____ organizations provided food and medicine.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The famous singer is well known for her extensive ____ work in developing countries.