unhuman

[ uhn-hyoo-muhn, or, often, ‐-yoo-muhn ]

adjective

1. lacking human attributes:

   The unhuman figures in his earlier work were not well received.

2. of a quality or power beyond what is human; superhuman:

   Her hands clenched the chair with unhuman strength.

3. not a member of the human species:

   Of our unhuman relatives, I love the mountain gorillas best.

Word History and Origins

Origin of unhuman¹

First recorded in 1780–85; un- ¹( def ) + human ( def )

Example Sentences

The parents then kept watch, and saw the devil near her in a monstrous unhuman form.

From Project Gutenberg

This was the foul revenge that Rogue Rogan had planned, the evil death he had plotted with his unhuman companions.

From Project Gutenberg

For him the perfect woman is the most unhuman; he admires the woolless sheep and the scentless flower.

From Project Gutenberg

There was something alien and unhuman, something uncannily disturbing, behind the Hindoo's stare.

From Project Gutenberg

Awe sank coldly through me at memory of that colossal land where I was pygmy indeed, an insolent human intruder upon the unhuman.

From Project Gutenberg