inhumane

adjective

in·​hu·​mane ˌin-(ˌ)hyü-ˈmān 

-(ˌ)yü-

: not humane : inhuman sense 1

the inhumane treatment of prisoners

inhumanely adverb

Synonyms

• affectless
• callous
• case-hardened
• cold-blooded
• compassionless
• desensitized
• hard
• hard-boiled
• hard-hearted
• heartless
• indurate
• inhuman
• insensate
• insensitive
• ironhearted
• merciless
• obdurate
• pachydermatous
• pitiless
• remorseless
• ruthless
• slash-and-burn
• soulless
• stony
• stoney
• stonyhearted
• take-no-prisoners
• thick-skinned
• uncharitable
• unfeeling
• unmerciful
• unsparing
• unsympathetic

Examples of inhumane in a Sentence

inhumane wardens who regularly ignored the crying children in their care

an inhumane dictator who tortured and murdered thousands of his own people

Recent Examples on the Web

The conditions in the facility are very unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane. —Amir Hussain june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025

As detention centers here and across the country fill up, NPR has received an outpouring of messages about severe overcrowding and inhumane conditions in immigration facilities across the state. —Jasmine Garsd, NPR, 5 June 2025

Phelan on Tuesday terminated all Department of the Navy testing on cats and dogs, saving taxpayer dollars and ending these inhumane studies. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2025

Their interrogators employ all kinds of inhumane behavior with the inmates, who are systematically deprived of their rights. —Jeff Kaufman, Time, 30 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French inhumain & Latin inhumanus

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for inhumane

• aeroplane
• appertain
• ascertain
• capitaine
• cassegrain
• cellophane
• chatelaine
• counterpane
• entertain
• gethsemane
• halothane
• hurricane

Kids Definition

inhumane

adjective

in·​hu·​mane ˌin-(ˌ)hyü-ˈmān 

-(ˌ)yü-

: not humane : inhuman sense 1

inhumane treatment of prisoners

inhumanely adverb