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

The right mix of true and imagined can give the simplest of humane narratives — in this case, the possibility of renewal in an epidemic of hurt — a fresher chance to touch us. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

The extermination method should be both practical and humane. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Recommendations Given Haitians demands for accountability, Chatham House recommends that authorities take immediate steps to establish independent, efficient courts and humane, safe prisons. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026

The humane society is also subject to audit by the Indiana State Board of Accounts, according to city documents. — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026