humanly

adverb

hu·​man·​ly ˈhyü-mən-lē 

ˈyü-

1

a

: with regard to human needs and emotions

… provide humanly for those who are not needed in the economy …

—E. F. Bacon

b

: with regard to or in keeping with human proneness to error or weakness

humanly inaccurate

2

a

: from a human viewpoint

Humanly speaking, the process works … like this …

—Elizabeth Janeway

b

: within the range of human capacity

did everything humanly possible

c

: by humans

humanly made

Examples of humanly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sure, a physiologist named Michael Joyner had floated the idea that such a feat might be humanly possible in a journal paper way back in 1991. —Alex Hutchinson, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026

Most fans want sports to be as apolitical as humanly possible. —Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026

More meetings in more time zones than seemed humanly possible. —Paul Perreault, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2026

But just one year into the driver’s seat and Espinosa, and his team of executives who are now mostly enthusiasts, seem to be moving as quickly as humanly possible to deliver on that big statement. —Joel Feder, The Drive, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing humanly

• as soon/quickly as (humanly) possible
• humanly possible

Rhymes for humanly

• inhumanly

Kids Definition

humanly

adverb

hu·​man·​ly ˈhyü-mən-lē 

ˈyü-

1

: within the range of human ability

a task not humanly possible

2

: of or concerning human needs or emotions

deal humanly with the poor