INHUMANE Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

inhumane

adjective

ˌin-(ˌ)hyü-ˈmān

Definition of inhumane

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings inhumane wardens who regularly ignored the crying children in their care

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 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 Detainees recounted degrading and inhumane living conditions that included bathrooms covered in feces, flooded housing units and no access to soap or other basic hygiene supplies, according to the report. — Michael Biesecker, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for inhumane

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhumane

Adjective

However, claiming his birthright means surviving the Renaissance’s most ruthless rival — his own family, who refuse to accept him.

— Peter White, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
The higher Arsenal climb, the finer those margins become, and the more ruthless Arteta and Arsenal may have to be.

— James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruthless

Adjective

Oleksa watches them from the other end of the camera feed, in the middle of a gnarly interrogation with Kyle and Cruz — the latter silently watching Oleksa go through a cruel facsimile of her own violent recruitment crucible in the first season.

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026
Murder charge 'cruel and unusual,' advocate says Of cases where a child was unknowingly left in a car, about 41% do not lead to criminal charges against caregivers, Rollins said.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

The Braves have Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy atop their catching depth chart, but a brutal injury setback involving veteran backstop Sandy Leon has now forced the organization to seek out another experienced option.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Micron, as well as South Korea's SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics — the world's three major DRAM producers — had competed largely on price, contributing to the brutal boom-and-bust cycles that have long characterized the industry.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 21 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

But Roy’s story of Annie (Arjun Raina), a New Delhi architecture student caught in a vicious cycle of failing and repeating his studies, gradually reveals itself as a sharp and poignant portrayal of youth, deftly poised between hope and cynicism.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
Lawsuits, bureaucratic battles, boisterously divisive council arguments and vicious social media debates have been part of Bloomfield life for years, and intensified during Danielle Wong’s contentious time as mayor.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

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
The lifestyle mogul made a savage comment about Meghan Markle in a cover story for PEOPLE on Wednesday, calling out her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of savage

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inhuman

inhumane

inhumanely

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“Inhumane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhumane. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of inhumane

adjective

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