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human right

/ˌ(h)jumən raɪt/
/ˈhjumən raɪt/
IPA guide

Other forms: human rights

The moral code that says every single person deserves to be treated a certain way and have access to certain things is known as human rights.

While people tend to disagree on what exactly is considered a human right, just about everyone agrees that simply existing as a human being entitles you to certain freedoms and abilities. In its definition of human rights, the United Nations includes the right to life and liberty, freedom from torture and slavery, the right to an education, and many more. Human rights apply to everyone.

Definitions of human right
  1. noun
    (law) any basic right or freedom to which all human beings are entitled and in whose exercise a government may not interfere (including rights to life and liberty as well as freedom of thought and expression and equality before the law)
    see moresee less
    types:
    right to privacy
    right to be free of unsanctioned intrusion
    right to life
    the right to live
    right to liberty
    the right to be free
    right to the pursuit of happiness
    the right to try to find happiness
    freedom of thought
    the right to hold unpopular ideas
    equality before the law
    the right to equal protection of the laws
    civil right
    right or rights belonging to a person by reason of citizenship including especially the fundamental freedoms and privileges guaranteed by the 13th and 14th amendments and subsequent acts of Congress including the right to legal and social and economic equality
    civil liberty
    fundamental individual right protected by law and expressed as immunity from unwarranted governmental interference
    habeas corpus
    the civil right to obtain a writ of habeas corpus as protection against illegal imprisonment
    freedom of religion
    a civil right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution
    free speech, freedom of speech
    the right to express your ideas and opinions, a right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
    freedom of the press
    a right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution
    freedom of assembly
    the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances; guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution
    freedom to bear arms
    a right guaranteed by the 2nd amendment to the US Constitution
    freedom from search and seizure
    a right guaranteed by the 4th amendment to the US Constitution
    right to due process
    a right guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution; reaffirmed by the Fourteenth Amendment
    freedom from self-incrimination, privilege against self incrimination
    the civil right (guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution) to refuse to answer questions or otherwise give testimony against yourself
    freedom from double jeopardy
    a civil right guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution
    right to speedy and public trial by jury
    a civil right guaranteed by the 6th amendment to the US Constitution
    right to an attorney
    a civil right guaranteed by the 6th amendment to the US Constitution
    right to confront accusors
    a right guaranteed by the 6th amendment to the US Constitution
    freedom from cruel and unusual punishment
    a right guaranteed by the 8th amendment to the US Constitution
    freedom from involuntary servitude
    a civil right guaranteed by the 13th amendment to the US Constitution
    equal protection of the laws
    a right guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution and by the due-process clause of the Fifth Amendment
    freedom from discrimination
    immunity from discrimination on the basis of race or sex or nationality or religion or age; guaranteed by federal laws of the United States
    equal opportunity
    the right to equivalent opportunities for employment regardless of race or color or sex or national origin
    type of:
    right
    an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature
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