Synonyms of humane

humane

adjective

hyü-ˈmān 

1

as in compassionate

having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others

humane guards who treated the prisoners decently

the Geneva conventions spelled out standards for the humane treatment of prisoners of war

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compassionate
• benevolent
• kind
• sympathetic
• thoughtful
• gentle
• gracious
• friendly
• kindly
• merciful
• nice
• beneficent
• kindhearted
• humanitarian
• generous
• benignant
• good
• sweet
• tender
• pleasant
• good-hearted
• softhearted
• warmhearted
• attentive
• tenderhearted
• warm
• patient
• considerate
• benign
• solicitous
• noble
• charitable
• mild
• neighborly
• good-natured
• companionable
• liberal
• soft
• affable
• lenient
• genial
• amicable
• cordial
• pitying
• tolerant
• altruistic
• philanthropic
• forgiving
• comradely
• unselfish
• selfless
• forbearing
• understanding
• magnanimous
• good-tempered
• munificent
• unsparing
• brotherly
• clement
• openhearted
• cruelty-free
• freehanded
• greathearted
• anticruelty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cruel
• inhumane
• barbaric
• savage
• brutal
• inhuman
• barbarous
• callous
• vicious
• heartless
• sadistic
• brute
• bestial
• ruthless
• unsympathetic
• unfeeling
• unkind
• brutish
• atrocious
• fiendish
• pitiless
• truculent
• insensate
• merciless
• insensitive
• thoughtless
• uncompassionate
• severe
• unthinking
• cold-blooded
• uncaring
• harsh
• tough
• stern
• grim
• unsentimental
• hard-hearted
• inconsiderate
• unkindly
• wanton
• malignant
• malicious
• virulent
• mean
• malevolent
• hateful
• spiteful
• malign
• ironhearted
• nasty
• stonyhearted
• heavy-handed
• uncharitable
• hard-boiled
• antihumanitarian

2

as in sympathetic

having or showing the capacity for sharing the feelings of another

the movie's humane depiction of people who are physically and mentally challenged

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compassionate
• sympathetic
• empathetic
• gentle
• empathic
• understanding
• loving
• affectionate
• benevolent
• warm
• commiserative
• merciful
• feeling
• charitable
• perceptive
• kind
• gracious
• sensitive
• friendly
• considerate
• magnanimous
• kindly
• lenient
• kindhearted
• tolerant
• congenial
• softhearted
• benignant
• pitying
• good-natured
• warmhearted
• bighearted
• tenderhearted
• cordial
• tender
• well-disposed
• genial
• good-tempered
• largehearted
• clement
• ruthful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inhumane
• inhuman
• callous
• heartless
• hard
• unsympathetic
• unfeeling
• obdurate
• insensitive
• thoughtless
• cold-blooded
• indifferent
• insensate
• unthinking
• cool
• aloof
• inconsiderate
• uncaring
• uninterested
• ruthless
• coldhearted
• unfriendly
• pitiless
• hard-hearted
• merciless
• unloving
• brutal
• oppressive
• severe
• bigoted
• harsh
• stern
• tough
• grim
• hostile
• unrelenting
• rough
• disagreeable
• abusive
• ungentle
• unaffectionate
• malicious
• virulent
• malevolent
• hateful
• unkind
• mean
• spiteful
• surly
• acrimonious
• blinkered
• narrow-minded
• rancorous
• small-minded
• hard-boiled
• hard-bitten
• ill-natured
• ill-tempered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of humane

In 2021, the humane society was named as one of nine beneficiaries of a donor’s IRA, which Sadek said the nonprofit only learned about through the donor’s sister. — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Paula Goldman, Salesforce’s chief ethical and humane use officer, argues there’s currently a big opportunity to redesign work around the complementary strengths of humans and AI. — Harvard Business Review, 17 Sep. 2026

That group of people and that production is incredibly well organized and incredibly humane and enormous fun. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

As a result, some smaller farmers — many with more humane and sustainable operations — feel their money is being diverted to lobby for the interests of industrialized meat corporations. — Kenny Torrella, Vox, 9 Sep. 2026