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human nature

human nature

109 3.0
The usual ways people think, feel, and behave
  • noun
  • /ˈhjuːmən ˈneɪtʃər/
translation icon : naturaleza humana
  • Somehow ancient folks had a better handle on human nature than we do now.
  • views of human nature
  • aspects of human nature
  • essence of human nature

They're actually against human nature in certain respects.

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Examples

  • He argued all people were born with a shared human nature that bonded them toward common goals.

  • It also restored my faith in human nature at a very dark time.

  • It's part of human nature.

  • But the basis was that human nature itself is the constant.

  • Technology changes all the time, human nature hardly ever.

  • Within our biology, Wilson sees a human nature that will provide a general basis to work from.

    Academic text (1999)
  • It's a difficult truth to accept that human nature is inherently selfish.

  • When faced with adversity, it is human nature to seek support from others.

  • Understanding human nature can help us navigate complex social interactions.

  • It's human nature to feel a sense of curiosity about the world around us.

Synonyms

nature
vshuman nature
587 3.6

The usual way a person thinks and feels that affects how they behave

is about shared psychological and behavioral tendencies across all people
humanness
vshuman nature
5 4.6

The feelings, faults, and kindness that belong to people

focuses on common psychological and behavioral tendencies rather than a general state of people

How Instinctive

bestial behavior
  • NSFW
8.4
animal nature
  • NSFW
1 5.0
human nature
109 3.0
intellectual
380 5.5
spiritual
660 4.8

Surface Forms

human nature singular
human natures plural

Morphology

human + nature

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'human' (pertaining to people) plus 'nature' (characteristic temperament or disposition), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the phrase refers to typical human qualities. This adj+noun construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'naturaleza humana', French 'nature humaine'), increasing its predictability for learners.

Etymology

The term human nature comes from the simple image that human means people and nature means a usual way of feeling and acting, like a plant's way of growing. So, human nature means the 'typical qualities' or 'usual behaviour' people have.