What does unhuman mean?
Unhuman is a rare English adjective best known for meaning cruel, brutal, or otherwise unworthy of human nature. It can also be used literally for something not human, though nonhuman is the more usual neutral term in scientific and technical contexts. The adjective is chiefly literary or rhetorical, so its starkness and emotional force are part of its effect. Writers often choose it to emphasize behavior that appears to deny human feeling or dignity, rather than merely to classify a creature. In discussions of cruelty, captivity, or imagined beings, unhuman can suggest something alien or monstrous. Because the word is uncommon in neutral everyday English, using it can make a description sound emphatic, austere, or deliberately unsettling. It is therefore most useful when the intended effect is not just precision, but a sharp contrast between what is human and what lies beyond that boundary.
adjectiveSo cruel, brutal, or degrading as to seem not properly human. It can also mean simply not human or belonging to a category other than humanity.
- Cruel, brutal, or so extreme as to seem outside human nature.
- Not human or belonging to a category other than humanity.
"The smooth, metallic voice sounded almost unhuman."
"The smooth, metallic voice sounded almost unhuman."
"The report condemned the unhuman treatment of prisoners in the camp."
One prefix can place something outside the human species—or outside human decency.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of unhuman
Unhuman was formed in English by combining the prefix un-, meaning “not,” with human. The base word comes through Old French humain from Latin humanus, an adjective associated with human beings and human qualities. The English adjective dates from the early modern period and developed figurative uses suggesting conduct that is beyond what is recognizably or decently human.
How unhuman is actually used
Rare and chiefly literary or rhetorical. It is more common in figurative condemnations of cruelty than in biological classification, and its categorical, emotionally charged tone distinguishes it from more neutral language.
Easily confused with unhuman
Inhuman primarily means extremely cruel or brutal, whereas unhuman can mean either not human or so cruel as to seem beyond human nature.
Nonhuman is the usual neutral term for something not belonging to the human species, especially in scientific and technical contexts.