inhumane
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inhumane
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Explanation
The adjective inhumane means cruel and heartless. Use it to describe terrible things like your neighbor's inhumane treatment of his hound dogs, which he leaves tied up in the yard in all kinds of weather. Whenever someone acts without considering the discomfort or pain of another person or animal, you can describe their actions as inhumane. A cruel government that keeps prisoners in terrible conditions is inhumane, and the treatment of farm animals is in some cases revealed to be inhumane by investigators. The word inhumane was originally a synonym of inhuman, literally "not human," but it fell out of use and then was revived in the 1820s to mean the opposite of humane.
Vocabulary lists containing inhumane
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Surviving Hitler
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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.
One new requirement asked for an inhumane placebo control group, to which no physician could agree.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
In a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai, those workers said they wanted to avoid AI being used “in inhumane or extremely harmful ways,” such as for lethal weapons or mass surveillance.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
A longtime executive in animal welfare services was named by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday to oversee the city’s animal shelters, which have been criticized for overcrowding and inhumane treatment of animals.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
"Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law. It is indefensible, inhumane and devastating for entire populations."
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
Mrs. Malloy says Negro people came here to escape lynching and inhumane treatment.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
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.
