sub·hu·man
ˌsəb-ˈhyü-mən 
-ˈyü-
: less than human: such as
a
: failing to attain the level (as of morality or intelligence) associated with normal human beings
b
: unsuitable to or unfit for human beings
subhuman living conditions
c
: of or relating to a taxonomic group lower than that of humans
the subhuman primates
: a subhuman being
Examples of subhuman in a Sentence
Adjective
The prisoners suffered subhuman treatment.
years of grinding poverty that had reduced them to a subhuman existence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
So, yeah, there are Muslim terrorists, but they are also shown as people with lives and interests and not subhuman villains, which, umm, could’ve been worse.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 30 July 2025
Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Devastated to learn that the Allies, too, were treating trans people as subhuman, Bertie and Sofie stop waiting to be liberated and start planning their own liberation.
—Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subhuman
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Adjective
But even past that, Tactics is directly about how the rich and powerful view the poor and weak as almost subhuman, practically delighting in the squalor and suffering normal people go through.
—Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
So, yeah, there are Muslim terrorists, but they are also shown as people with lives and interests and not subhuman villains, which, umm, could’ve been worse.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 30 July 2025
Noun
But even past that, Tactics is directly about how the rich and powerful view the poor and weak as almost subhuman, practically delighting in the squalor and suffering normal people go through.
—Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025
Devastated to learn that the Allies, too, were treating trans people as subhuman, Bertie and Sofie stop waiting to be liberated and start planning their own liberation.
—Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subhuman
Cite this Entry
“Subhuman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subhuman. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
subhuman
adjective
sub·hu·man
ˌsəb-ˈhyü-mən, ˈsəb-, -ˈyü-
: of or relating to a taxonomic group lower than that of humans
the subhuman primates
subhuman
noun
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