subhuman

1 of 2

adjective

sub·​hu·​man ˌsəb-ˈhyü-mən 

-ˈyü-

: less than human: such as

a

: failing to attain the level (as of morality or intelligence) associated with normal human beings

b

: unsuitable to or unfit for human beings

subhuman living conditions

c

: of or relating to a taxonomic group lower than that of humans

the subhuman primates

subhuman

2 of 2

noun

: a subhuman being

Synonyms

Adjective

• animalistic
• beastly
• bestial
• brutal
• brute
• brutish
• feral
• ferine
• swinish

Examples of subhuman in a Sentence

Adjective

The prisoners suffered subhuman treatment.

years of grinding poverty that had reduced them to a subhuman existence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Cinematographers Alejandro Chávez and Trevor Roach shoot the underworld where the victims work and live with limited light sources creating a drab, oppressive environment that highlight the subhuman conditions they are subjected to. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024

So, yeah, there are Muslim terrorists, but they are also shown as people with lives and interests and not subhuman villains, which, umm, could’ve been worse. —Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2024

Noun

Underneath their discussions about democracy, rationalism, and religion lies one consensus: Women are subordinate and subhuman. —Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2024

The brawl, which Ah Sahm wins handily, is the kind of thing that a nonwhite person fantasizes about after being treated as subhuman—a kick-ass solution to a miasmic attack. —Jasper Lo, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1790, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1812, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

subhuman

adjective

sub·​hu·​man ˌsəb-ˈhyü-mən, ˈsəb-, -ˈyü- 

: of or relating to a taxonomic group lower than that of humans

the subhuman primates

subhuman noun