Human vs. Person — What's the Difference?

Susceptible to weakness or error.

A person (plural people or persons) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of property, or legal responsibility. The defining features of personhood and, consequently, what makes a person count as a person, differ widely among cultures and contexts.In addition to the question of personhood, of what makes a being count as a person to begin with, there are further questions about personal identity and self: both about what makes any particular person that particular person instead of another, and about what makes a person at one time the same person as they were or will be at another time despite any intervening changes.

A bipedal primate belonging to the species Homo sapiens.

An individual human being with certain rights and responsibilities.

Pertaining to or characteristic of people.

A character or identity assumed by an individual.

Consisting of or affecting people.

A human as regarded in an individual and social context.

Humans (Homo sapiens) are the most abundant and widespread species of primates, characterized by bipedality and large, complex brains enabling the development of advanced tools, culture and language. Humans are highly social beings and tend to live in complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from families and kinship networks to political states.

The term used to refer to a human in the context of legal rights.

Relating to or characteristic of humankind

A living human. Often used in combination

A human being.

An individual of specified character

A member of the primate genus Homo, especially a member of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other apes by a large brain and the capacity for speech.

The composite of characteristics that make up an individual personality; the self.

A person

The living body of a human

Of, relating to, or characteristic of humans

Physique and general appearance.

Having or showing those positive aspects of nature and character regarded as distinguishing humans from other animals

(Law) A human, corporation, organization, partnership, association, or other entity deemed or construed to be governed by a particular law.

Subject to or indicative of the weaknesses, imperfections, and fragility associated with humans

(Christianity) Any of the three separate individualities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as distinguished from the essence of the Godhead that unites them.

Having the form of a human.

Any of three groups of pronoun forms with corresponding verb inflections that distinguish the speaker (first person), the individual addressed (second person), and the individual or thing spoken of (third person).

Made up of humans

Any of the different forms or inflections expressing these distinctions.

(notcomp) Of or belonging to the species Homo sapiens or its closest relatives.

A character or role, as in a play; a guise

(comparable) Having the nature or attributes of a human being.

An individual substance of a rational nature; usually a human being.

(narrowly) The tallest, most abundant and most intelligent of primates; Homo sapiens.

A character or part, as in a play; a specific kind or manifestation of individual character, whether in real life, or in literary or dramatic representation; an assumed character.

(broadly) Any hominid of the genus Homo.

(Christianity) Any one of the three hypostases of the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.

(rare) To behave as or become, or to cause to behave as or become, a human.

Any sentient or socially intelligent being.

Belonging to man or mankind; having the qualities or attributes of a man; of or pertaining to man or to the race of man; as, a human voice; human shape; human nature; human sacrifices.

(in a compound noun or noun phrase) Someone who likes or has an affinity for (a specified thing).

A human being.

(in a compound noun or noun phrase) A human of unspecified gender (in terms usually constructed with man or woman).

A human being;

(in a compound noun or noun phrase) A worker in a specified function or specialty.

Any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae

The physical body of a being seen as distinct from the mind, character, etc.

Characteristic of humanity;

(law) Any individual or formal organization with standing before the courts.

Relating to a person;

The human genitalia; specifically, the penis.

Having human form or attributes as opposed to those of animals or divine beings;

(grammar) A linguistic category used to distinguish between the speaker of an utterance and those to whom or about whom they are speaking. See grammatical person.

Relating to the social aspects of life.

(biology) A shoot or bud of a plant; a polyp or zooid of the compound Hydrozoa, Anthozoa, etc.; also, an individual, in the narrowest sense, among the higher animals.

To represent as a person; to personify; to impersonate.

To man, to supply with staff or crew.

A character or part, as in a play; a specific kind or manifestation of individual character, whether in real life, or in literary or dramatic representation; an assumed character.

The bodily form of a human being; body; outward appearance; as, of comely person.

A living, self-conscious being, as distinct from an animal or a thing; a moral agent; a human being; a man, woman, or child.

A human being spoken of indefinitely; one; a man; as, any person present.

A parson; the parish priest.

Among Trinitarians, one of the three subdivisions of the Godhead (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost); an hypostasis.

One of three relations or conditions (that of speaking, that of being spoken to, and that of being spoken of) pertaining to a noun or a pronoun, and thence also to the verb of which it may be the subject.

A shoot or bud of a plant; a polyp or zooid of the compound Hydrozoa Anthozoa, etc.; also, an individual, in the narrowest sense, among the higher animals.

To represent as a person; to personify; to impersonate.

A human being;

A person's body (usually including their clothing);

A grammatical category of pronouns and verb forms;

A self-conscious being.

A human is defined by belonging to the species Homo sapiens.

A person is defined as an individual with self-awareness, rights, and responsibilities.

Yes, personhood can carry ethical significance regarding rights and moral consideration.

While often used interchangeably, 'person' can have broader implications.

'Human' is used to refer to aspects of the human species or its characteristics.

Legal personhood requires recognition by a legal system.

Yes, every human is generally considered a person, but the term 'person' has broader legal and philosophical use.

In law and philosophy, yes—corporations or other entities can be treated as persons.

'Human' is less common in legal contexts, where 'person' is the preferred term.

Some argue certain animals have personhood due to their intelligence and awareness.

Philosophically, it involves the criteria that qualify an entity to be recognized as a person.

Human rights refer to rights inherent to all humans; person rights might be more specific within a legal or societal context.

Usually, 'person' is the term that specifically relates to legal rights.

'Person' is used to refer to an individual or their role in society and law.

Corporations have certain legal rights but not human rights per se.