humane

adjective

hu·​mane hyü-ˈmān How to pronounce humane (audio)
yü-
1
: marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals
humane prison guards
a more humane way of treating farm animals
2
: characterized by or tending to broad humanistic culture : humanistic
humane studies
humanely adverb
humaneness noun

Examples of humane in a Sentence

It's not humane to treat animals that way. Conditions in the prison are more humane now.
Recent Examples on the Web Last summer, the institute filed a petition asking the agriculture department to require farms to devise depopulation plans that are more humane as a condition for receiving compensation. Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024 Some thanked the humane society for the update in the comments. Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for humane 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'humane.' 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 English humain

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of humane was in 1552

Dictionary Entries Near humane

Cite this Entry

“Humane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humane. Accessed 4 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

humane

adjective
hu·​mane hyü-ˈmān How to pronounce humane (audio)
yü-
: marked by sympathy or consideration for others
humanely adverb
humaneness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on humane

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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