hominoid

noun

hom·​i·​noid ˈhä-mə-ˌnȯid How to pronounce hominoid (audio)
: any of a superfamily (Hominoidea) of primates including recent hominids, gibbons, and pongids together with extinct ancestral and related forms (as of the genera Proconsul and Dryopithecus)
hominoid adjective

Examples of hominoid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Other studies found that environmental changes could have led to evolution because limited resources or changes in habitat may have forced early hominoids to move to more suitable climates or learn other ways to obtain food. Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024 Other researchers are converging upon a similar recalibration of mutational rates which might push back the time until the last common ancestor of many divergent hominoid and hominin lineages (including modern humans). Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2011 Its enormous size—13 inches—also suggests a magnificent hominoid, a King Kong type of image! National Geographic, 19 Aug. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hominoid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Hominoidea, from Homin-, Homo + -oidea, suffix of higher taxa, from Latin -oïdes -oid entry 2

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hominoid was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near hominoid

Cite this Entry

“Hominoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hominoid. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

hominoid

noun
hom·​i·​noid ˈhäm-ə-ˌnȯid How to pronounce hominoid (audio)
: any member of the superfamily Hominoidea
also : an animal that resembles humans
hominoid adjective
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