ENGLISH
REFERENCE

humanitarian

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˌhjuˌmænəˈtɛɹiən// UK //hjˌuːmɐnɪtˈeəɹiən// hu·man·i·tar·i·an Archaic

n. a person who works to help others and reduce suffering in the world. They often focus on providing food, medical care, or safety to people in dangerous situations.

n. a person dedicated to promoting human welfare and social reform. Often used to describe those providing aid in response to crises or systemic poverty.


SIMPLE

The famous actor is also a dedicated humanitarian.

CONTEXTUAL

After the earthquake, several humanitarians arrived to set up clean water systems for the survivors.

COMPLEX

The award recognizes the lifelong commitment of a humanitarian who risked personal safety to negotiate the release of political prisoners in war-torn regions.

Synonyms
Origin

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).

Usage

Commonly used as both a noun and an adjective without a change in form.

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