nonhuman

adjective

non·​hu·​man ˌnän-ˈhyü-mən 

-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

Japanese snow monkeys, formally known as Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), are native to Japan and are the northernmost-living nonhuman primates in the world. —Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026

Historians have used the phenomenon of enclosure to debate the great changes to human and nonhuman life that occurred with the Industrial Revolution, the scientific revolution, and the second agricultural revolution, all led by the English. —Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026

The blue Art Deco chairs are beloved by one and all, human and nonhuman—the dogs, naturally, being the elephants in the room. —Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2026

Some researchers suggested that goodbyes required cognitive abilities that many nonhuman animals might lack, such as the capacity to imagine and plan for the future. —Shayla Love, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nonhuman

• acumen
• albumen
• albumin
• bitumen
• cerumen
• curcumin
• illumine
• inhuman
• subhuman
• crewman
• crewmen
• cumin