humane
Americanadjective
-
characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, especially for the suffering or distressed.
humane treatment of prisoners.
- Synonyms:
- charitable, benignant, benevolent, sympathetic, gentle, compassionate, tender, kindhearted, kindly, kind, merciful
-
acting in a manner that causes the least harm to people or animals.
humane trapping of stray pets.
-
of or relating to humanistic studies.
adjective
-
characterized by kindness, mercy, sympathy, etc
-
inflicting as little pain as possible
a humane killing
-
civilizing or liberal (esp in the phrases humane studies, humane education )
Related Words
See human.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of humane
First recorded in 1425–75; originally a variant of human, restricted to above senses from the 18th century; cf. germane, german
Explanation
A humane person is one who shows great compassion and caring for others, including animals, and who tries whenever possible to alleviate another's suffering. The idea of being humane is linked to a higher level of a person's character. While the word is derived from the word human, the sad fact is that a person can be human without being humane. Britain's Royal Humane Society, created in 1774 to rescue drowning people, focuses on recognizing acts of human bravery. In the United States, however, the Humane Society works to eliminate cruelty to animals. Still, both focus on kindness and the humane care of others.
Vocabulary lists containing humane
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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"The Bet" by Anton Chekhov
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The Stranger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said notes were kept of bathroom breaks, so year heads could look and see "patterns of toilet behaviour", but overall Banks said it was a "humane approach".
From BBC • May 16, 2026
He even came across more humane jailers who said they were "sorry" about what was happening and that one day "Russia will apologise".
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
Miranda supports a “system that is humane, fair and rooted in opportunity,” he wrote on his campaign website.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
In the candid and clearsighted “Jan Morris,” Ms. Wheeler gives us the “monster and the humane, lovable companion,” the aggressive charmer who boasted of being the “only Lady Card Holder” at the Travellers Club.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Sivaji acted for him, and being a kindly, humane man, we counted ourselves lucky.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
