Synonyms of inhumane

inhumane

adjective

ˌin-(ˌ)hyü-ˈmān 

1

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings

inhumane wardens who regularly ignored the crying children in their care

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruthless
• merciless
• stony
• abusive
• oppressive
• inhuman
• cruel
• hard
• brutal
• callous
• harsh
• heartless
• pitiless
• hateful
• insensitive
• compassionless
• malicious
• vicious
• soulless
• tough
• unmerciful
• unfeeling
• remorseless
• grim
• unsympathetic
• uncharitable
• stern
• obdurate
• hard-hearted
• insensate
• unsparing
• affectless
• cold-blooded
• slash-and-burn
• desensitized
• take-no-prisoners
• pachydermatous
• indurate
• severe
• thick-skinned
• savage
• hard-boiled
• uncaring
• thoughtless
• mean
• inconsiderate
• ironhearted
• unfriendly
• case-hardened
• unloving
• unthinking
• stonyhearted
• rough
• boorish
• heedless
• ungentle
• spiteful
• barbarous
• disagreeable
• malevolent
• virulent
• heavy-handed
• bestial
• cold
• acrimonious
• brutish
• rough-and-tumble
• surly
• jackbooted
• ironhanded
• ironfisted
• ill-natured
• sledgehammer
• rancorous
• evil-minded
• hard-bitten
• ill-tempered
• austere
• frosty
• knock-down, drag-out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humane
• sympathetic
• warm
• sensitive
• charitable
• compassionate
• merciful
• kind
• gentle
• benevolent
• kindly
• mild
• tender
• lenient
• indulgent
• friendly
• softhearted
• kindhearted
• gracious
• warmhearted
• tenderhearted
• cordial
• benignant
• tolerant
• loving
• affectionate
• understanding
• good-natured
• clement
• fond
• good-tempered

2

as in cruel

having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others

an inhumane dictator who tortured and murdered thousands of his own people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cruel
• brutal
• vicious
• savage
• ruthless
• barbaric
• inhuman
• barbarous
• sadistic
• heartless
• murderous
• atrocious
• merciless
• oppressive
• brute
• ferocious
• harsh
• fiendish
• truculent
• hateful
• butcherly
• malicious
• pitiless
• red in tooth and claw
• wanton
• unfeeling
• grim
• bloodthirsty
• fell
• vindictive
• malignant
• sanguinary
• spiteful
• draconian
• malevolent
• cutthroat
• hard-hearted
• malign
• ironhearted
• mean
• sanguine
• stonyhearted
• nasty
• despiteful
• catty
• heavy-handed
• draconic
• hardhanded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humane
• sympathetic
• benign
• kind
• compassionate
• warm
• charitable
• merciful
• lenient
• kindhearted
• benignant
• tender
• good-hearted
• tenderhearted
• peaceful
• pitying
• warmhearted
• peaceable
• pacific
• clement

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of inhumane

The reporting has been gratuitous and inhumane, no one deserves this hounding. — Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

This cynical and inhumane terrorist attack against children cannot be justified. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026

In June, the New Jersey attorney general filed a lawsuit against the site’s operator, The GEO Group, urging a court to close the facility until the state could inspect it over longstanding allegations of inhumane conditions. — Alex Stambaugh, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Congress recognized that extraordinary circumstances sometimes make removal inhumane and unsafe. — Ray Watford, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2026