How to pronounce humanitarian
Say it like hyoo-man-uh-TER-ee-un. Humanitarian has six syllables, and the main stress falls on the fourth one (TER).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce humanitarian. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- hyoo
- man
- uh
- TER
- ee
- un
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Humanitarian pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- hyooGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
- manGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
- uhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- TERSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- eeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
- unKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of humanitarian
American and British speakers say humanitarian in essentially the same way: /ˌhjuˌmænəˈtɛriən/ in the US and /hjʊˌmænɪˈtɛərɪən/ in the UK.
British respelling: hyuu-man-ih-TAIR-rih-un.
What does humanitarian mean?
- marked by humanistic values and devotion to human welfare“a humane physician”“released the prisoner for humanitarian reasons”
- of or relating to or characteristic of humanitarianism“humanitarian aid”
- someone devoted to the promotion of human welfare and to social reforms
- an advocate of the principles of humanism; someone concerned with the interests and welfare of humans
Where does humanitarian come from?
From humanity + -arian (suffix indicating an advocate of or believer in something), possibly modeled after Unitarian (“Christian who does not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity; pertaining to Unitarianism”) (see noun sense 2 and verb sense 2).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with humanitarian
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of humanitarian.
- vegetarian
- authoritarian
- librarian
- libertarian
- ovarian
- barbarian
- sectarian
- totalitarian
- agrarian
- veterinarian
Questions about saying humanitarian
How do you pronounce humanitarian?
Say hyoo-man-uh-TER-ee-un. The American pronunciation is /ˌhjuˌmænəˈtɛriən/. In British English it is /hjʊˌmænɪˈtɛərɪən/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in humanitarian?
Humanitarian has six syllables, and the main stress falls on the fourth one (TER). Broken into parts: hyoo · man · uh · TER · ee · un.
Do Americans and Brits say humanitarian the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˌhjuˌmænəˈtɛriən/ and the British form is /hjʊˌmænɪˈtɛərɪən/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.