inhumane

adjective

ˌin-(ˌ)hyü-ˈmān How to pronounce inhumane (audio)
Definition of inhumanenext
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See All Example Sentences for inhumane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhumane
  1. ruthless
  2. cruel
  3. merciless
  4. brutal
  5. stony
  6. vicious
  7. savage
Adjective
  • He was always destined to follow in the footsteps of another tyrannical, ruthless Don – Michael Corleone.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Ink finds the Sinners star playing ruthless tabloid editor Larry Lamb in Boyle’s retelling of what happened when Rupert Murdoch acquired struggling British newspaper The Sun.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruthless
Adjective
  • Having Sheridan actually be a cruel person was one of the key audience expectations the writer-director hoped to flip in the pursuit of laughs.
    — William Earl, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But Triage does have a moment in which an ember of the old cruel optimism flickers.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • In Braun’s script, the merciless obstacle course of singlehood seems just absurd.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Regehr was relentless and merciless, and Oilers fans had to witness it over and over again.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of merciless
Adjective
  • Within a span of four months in Fort Worth last year, Watkins and Snellings were killed in similarly brutal attacks in the Near Southside and Historic Southside sections of the city.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Even so, when investor confidence broke in 1997, the adjustment was swift and brutal.
    — MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.
    — Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
  • Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
    — Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Definition of stony
Adjective
  • Your husband merely identified the obvious, most vicious enemy of the people in straightforward terms.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Democrats have little trouble understanding that the right-wing infighting over Carlson is about whether the Republican tent, which already includes racists, nativists, and vicious Islamophobes, is also big enough to include anti-Semites.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • Cole, who has to maneuver his way around 20 savage crew members, each of whom will need to be killed, doesn’t waste a homicidal movement.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The savage battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa had already demonstrated the ferocity with which Japanese forces would defend their homeland.
    — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of savage

Browse Nearby Words

inhuman
inhumane
inhumanely
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inhumane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhumane. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All