Humankind means all human beings considered together as a single group. When scientists study the history of humankind, they're looking at how people have lived, changed, and spread across the Earth over hundreds of thousands of years. When someone talks about the achievements of humankind, they mean things that humans have accomplished collectively: discovering fire, inventing writing, building cities, exploring space.

The word emphasizes what we share rather than what divides us. Every person, regardless of where they live or what language they speak, belongs to humankind. We all need food, water, and shelter. We all learn, create, and solve problems. We all experience joy and sadness.

You might hear someone say that a new medical discovery will benefit all of humankind, meaning it could help people everywhere, not just one country or group. Or you might read that climate change affects the future of humankind, meaning it concerns every person on the planet and those who will come after us.

The word is interchangeable with humanity or mankind, though humankind makes it especially clear that we're talking about every human being, treating us all as part of one remarkable family sharing this planet.