French word

inhumain

Pronunciation

IPA/inymɛ̃/

Meaning

  • adjectiveinhumane

Example

C'est inhumain de traiter un enfant comme ça.

It is inhumane to treat a child like that.

Illustration for inhumain (inhumane)

More examples

Ils dénoncent le traitement inhumain des prisonniers.

They denounce the inhumane treatment of the prisoners.

Core concept

A decision treats people as expendable rather than as persons with dignity.

Common phrases

  • traitement inhumain

    inhumane treatment

Similar words

cruel: Deliberately causing pain or treating others with cold harshness.
brutal: Using force or violence in a rough and cruel manner.
impitoyable: Acting with no mercy and extreme severity toward others.
barbare: Savage and cruel, with a lack of basic human feeling.

Definition in French

Qui manque de compassion et de considération pour la dignité ou la souffrance des êtres humains, souvent employé pour qualifier des actes, des situations ou des décisions.

Word origin

French inhumain is formed with in-, meaning 'not', before humain, a word inherited from Latin humanus.

Usage tips

  • The word carries strong moral condemnation and often describes acts, policies, or conditions rather than a person's whole character.

Other meanings

  • crueladjective
  • heartlessadjective
  • ruthlessadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • inhumanitéinhumanitynoun
  • inhumainementinhumanelyadverb

Word lists with this word