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

With so many animals already in its care, the humane society explained that each adoption would help create space for another dog in need. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026

This marks the latest milestone for a startup that has been using science to reimagine a more sustainable and humane future for quality leather. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026

Then there are his more humane roles in the likes of Twins (1988), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Junior (1994). — Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2026

This resistance to slavery had little or nothing to do with humane fellow-feeling. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026