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
Human rights groups have said Hamas’s practice of making and releasing hostage videos was inhumane treatment that could amount to a war crime.
—
Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Similar to the earlier development in Norway, inhumane living conditions discovered at local farms have meanwhile led to proposals of banning fur farming in Polish parliament.
—Katharina Buchholz, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
His lawyers argue that Iraqi prisons are inhumane, which would violate U.S. obligations to not forcibly send someone to a country where he might be abused.
—Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Many January 6 defendants have protested inhumane prison conditions, including physical abuse, retaliation, and deprivation of food and heat, in a squalid D.C. jail from which several hundred were relocated after a U.S. Marshals Service investigation.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for inhumane 
Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
Similar to the earlier development in Norway, inhumane living conditions discovered at local farms have meanwhile led to proposals of banning fur farming in Polish parliament.
—Katharina Buchholz, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
His lawyers argue that Iraqi prisons are inhumane, which would violate U.S. obligations to not forcibly send someone to a country where he might be abused.
—Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Many January 6 defendants have protested inhumane prison conditions, including physical abuse, retaliation, and deprivation of food and heat, in a squalid D.C. jail from which several hundred were relocated after a U.S. Marshals Service investigation.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for inhumane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhumane
Adjective
-
The lawyer who normally practices in New York is gregarious, quick with a joke and always happy to talk to the media, but can be ruthless in cross-examination.—
Andrew Dalton,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Jan. 2025
-
City are going through some stuff, Arsenal aren’t ruthless enough, Chelsea are wobbling, teams will figure out how to beat Nottingham Forest soon enough, Newcastle are the form team now but are an Alexander Isak injury away from trouble.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
And having more thoughtful conversations doesn’t preclude the need sometimes to confront those who are needlessly cruel or organizations that benefit from such exploitation.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
18 Jan. 2025
-
In recent months, the Justice Department and the state filed thousands of pages of new records in the lawsuit, including reports and sworn statements from pediatricians, scholars and others who describe Florida’s policies as archaic and cruel.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The funniest movie ever made about the experience of being snubbed for an Oscar nomination, For Your Consideration found Christopher Guest and company moving away from their patented mockumentary format for this hilarious and merciless satire.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
22 Jan. 2025
-
But some part of her yearns to be merciless—to make all these women confess.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Related article Japan’s leader demands answers from China over schoolboy’s fatal stabbing The sentiment is rooted in bitter memories of Japan’s invasion and brutal occupation in the 1930s and 1940s and fueled by present-day territorial disputes.—
Chris Lau,
CNN,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Many excellent and capable people from rural areas were lost to this brutal movement, leading to a generational impact on China's progress.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The roughest angle to imposter syndrome seems to be a potentially vicious cycle that can ensue.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Social media lit up with outrage directed toward Jubilee for giving voice to a vicious troll.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
-
The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Thesaurus Entries Near inhumane
Cite this Entry
“Inhumane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhumane. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share