The classification of the great apes has been revised several times in the last few decades; these revisions have led to a varied use of the word "hominid" over time.
The original meaning of the term referred to only humans and their closest relatives—what is now the modern meaning of the term "hominin".
The meaning of the taxon Hominidae changed gradually, leading to a modern usage of "hominid" that includes all the great apes including humans.

A number of very similar words apply to related classifications:
A hominoid, sometimes called an ape, is a member of the superfamily Hominoidea: extant members are the gibbons (lesser apes, family Hylobatidae) and the hominids.

A hominid is a member of the family Hominidae, the great apes: orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and humans.

A hominine is a member of the subfamily Homininae: gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans (excludes orangutans).

A hominin is a member of the tribe Hominini: chimpanzees and humans.

A homininan, following a suggestion by Wood and Richmond (2000), would be a member of the subtribe Hominina of the tribe Hominini: that is, modern humans and their closest relatives, including Australopithecina, but excluding chimpanzees.

A human is a member of the genus Homo, of which Homo sapiens is the only extant species, and within that Homo sapiens sapiens is the only surviving subspecies.

A cladogram indicating common names (cf.
more detailed cladogram below):
The classification of the great apes has been revised several times in the last few decades; these revisions have led to a varied use of the word "hominid" over time. The original meaning of the term referred to only humans and their closest relatives—what is now the modern meaning of the term "hominin". The meaning of the taxon Hominidae changed gradually, leading to a modern usage of "hominid" that includes all the great apes including humans.
A number of very similar words apply to related classifications:
A hominoid, sometimes called an ape, is a member of the superfamily Hominoidea: extant members are the gibbons (lesser apes, family Hylobatidae) and the hominids.
A hominid is a member of the family Hominidae, the great apes: orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and humans.
A hominine is a member of the subfamily Homininae: gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans (excludes orangutans).
A hominin is a member of the tribe Hominini: chimpanzees and humans.
A homininan, following a suggestion by Wood and Richmond (2000), would be a member of the subtribe Hominina of the tribe Hominini: that is, modern humans and their closest relatives, including Australopithecina, but excluding chimpanzees.
A human is a member of the genus Homo, of which Homo sapiens is the only extant species, and within that Homo sapiens sapiens is the only surviving subspecies.
A cladogram indicating common names (cf. more detailed cladogram below):
Hominidae