inhumane

adjective

in·​hu·​mane ˌin-(ˌ)hyü-ˈmān How to pronounce inhumane (audio)
-(ˌ)yü-
: not humane : inhuman sense 1
the inhumane treatment of prisoners
inhumanely adverb

Examples of inhumane in a Sentence

inhumane wardens who regularly ignored the crying children in their care an inhumane dictator who tortured and murdered thousands of his own people
Recent Examples on the Web But there is little doubt that Pelican’s use of SHU was not only inhumane, but seemed to prevent some inmates ever being considered for transfer back to the general population, let alone parole. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Apr. 2024 Aaron Schlosser Kensington Israel’s war seems like vengeance, not justice The Hamas attack on innocent Israeli citizens at a music festival last October was monstrous, sinister, heinous, evil and inhumane. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024 Critics say reproductive health restrictions would be inhumane and counterproductive in boosting birthrates. Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024 Critics call the legislation inhumane and unconstitutional. Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024 But migrant workers routinely face predatory employers, inhumane conditions and other abuse. John Yoon, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Prisoners and their families report inhumane conditions at the federal prison in Leavenworth, which has been on lockdown for weeks. Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2024 The Detroit Free Press started reporting 18 months ago on the juvenile jail's struggles with overcrowding and understaffing, creating conditions critics have called inhumane. Christine MacDonald, Detroit Free Press, 30 Jan. 2024 Ohio's youth prison system has been struggling with violent clashes, staff shortages and inhumane conditions. Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 18 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inhumane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French inhumain & Latin inhumanus

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inhumane was in 1536

Dictionary Entries Near inhumane

Cite this Entry

“Inhumane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inhumane. Accessed 3 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

inhumane

adjective
in·​hu·​mane ˌin-(ˌ)hyü-ˈmān How to pronounce inhumane (audio)
-(ˌ)yü-
: not humane : inhuman sense 1
inhumane treatment of prisoners
inhumanely adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on inhumane

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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