ENGLISH
REFERENCE

inhumane

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˌɪnhjuˈmeɪn// UK //ɪnhjuːmˈeɪn// in·hu·mane

adj. extremely cruel or causing a lot of suffering. It describes treatment that is so bad it does not seem like it belongs to a kind human world.

adj. lacking humanity, kindness, or compassion; causing unnecessary suffering. Often used to describe conditions or treatment that violate basic human rights.


SIMPLE

The prisoners were kept in inhumane conditions.

CONTEXTUAL

International observers condemned the inhumane treatment of refugees at the border camps.

COMPLEX

The report highlighted the inhumane practices within the factory, where employees were forced to work eighteen-hour shifts without adequate breaks or ventilation.

Antonyms
Origin

Originally a variant spelling and pronunciation of inhuman, ultimately from Latin inhūmānus; it appears to have died out 17c. but returned c. 1822, probably a reformation as a negative of humane from in- + humane.

Usage

Often used predicatively after 'be' or 'seem', or attributively before nouns like 'conditions', 'treatment', or 'punishment'.

Pitfall

unhumaneinhumaneWhile 'un-' is a common prefix for adjectives, 'inhumane' uses the Latin-derived 'in-' prefix.

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