humanly

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈhjuːmənli/ UK /ˈhjuːmənli/ See IPA manual

Freq #23882

Meanings

1

adv
within the limits of human ability, effort, or endurance, especially in the phrase humanly possible

Rescuers did everything humanly possible to reach the trapped miners.
2

adv
by human beings or human means rather than by nature or another agency

The museum displayed both naturally formed crystals and humanly manufactured replicas.
3

adv
from the standpoint of ordinary human knowledge or judgment, especially in the phrase humanly speaking

Humanly speaking, the expedition had little chance of returning before winter.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · within the limits of human... within human limitsby every possible human effort

2 adv · by human beings or human... by humansby human agencyartificially

3 adv · from the standpoint of... from a human standpointby ordinary judgment

More by human effort

Word family

Related forms humanhuman-madehumanely humanity

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

humanly possible
within the limits of what people can do

Adverb + adjective

Etymology

Formed in Middle English from human + the adverbial suffix -ly. Human comes through French from Latin humanus ("human; humane"). Humanly once overlapped more with humanely, but modern usage chiefly concerns human capability, human agency, or judgment from a human point of view.

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# humanly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** /ˈhjuːmənli/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhjuːmənli/
**Frequency rank:** 23882

## Meanings
1. within the limits of human ability, effort, or endurance, especially in the phrase humanly possible
2. by human beings or human means rather than by nature or another agency
3. from the standpoint of ordinary human knowledge or judgment, especially in the phrase humanly speaking

## Examples
- Rescuers did everything humanly possible to reach the trapped miners.
- The museum displayed both naturally formed crystals and humanly manufactured replicas.
- Humanly speaking, the expedition had little chance of returning before winter.

## Synonyms
- within human limits
- by human effort
- from a human standpoint

## Related Forms
- human
- human-made
- humanely
- humanity

## Etymology
Formed in Middle English from human + the adverbial suffix -ly. Human comes through French from Latin humanus ("human; humane"). Humanly once overlapped more with humanely, but modern usage chiefly concerns human capability, human agency, or judgment from a human point of view.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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