nonhuman

adjective

non·​hu·​man ˌnän-ˈhyü-mən How to pronounce nonhuman (audio)
-ˈyü-
: not human: such as
a
: being other than a human being
a nonhuman primate/animal
b
: not belonging to, appropriate to, or produced by human beings
nonhuman noises
nonhuman cells
nonhuman noun
Discarding the doctrine of human dignity can mean lowering the moral status of humans or raising the moral status of nonhumans, and Mr. Rachels's emphasis is ultimately on the latter. Robert Wright

Examples of nonhuman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Humans get a head-start over nonhuman spirits or creatures called yaoguai. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025 And even some animals, such as birds, fish, reptiles, insects and nonhuman mammals, seem to fall for the trick. Nora Bradford, Scientific American, 22 Aug. 2025 Now, an international team of researchers has recovered the first ancient Yersinia pestis genome from a nonhuman host — a Bronze Age domesticated sheep that lived around 4,000 years ago in what is nowmodern-day Russia. Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025 In Florida, raw milk can be sold only for nonhuman consumption, such as pet food, and containers of raw milk sold in the state must be clearly labeled that the raw milk is for animal consumption only. Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nonhuman

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonhuman was in 1839

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nonhuman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonhuman. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on nonhuman

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!