Standard Lemma guide

humane

adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /hjuːˈmeɪn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /hjuˈmeɪn/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /hjʉːˈmæɪn/
  • rhymes with -eɪn
  • CMU ARPABET: HH Y UW0 M EY1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having or showing concern for the pain or suffering of another; compassionate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • It is no longer considered humane to perform vivisection on research animals.
  • As methods of execution go, beheading is more humane than drawing and quartering.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the humanities, especially classical literature or rhetoric.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Obsolete spelling of human.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective

Meaning 4

marked or motivated by concern with the alleviation of suffering

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: inhumane

5

adjective

Meaning 5

pertaining to or concerned with the humanities

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • humanistic studies
  • a humane education

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: humanist, humanistic

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English humain, humayne, from Old French humain, umain, from Latin hūmānus, from Latin homō (“man”). Cognate with Old English guma (“man”), whence the groom in English bridegroom.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: i njeridashës — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Arabic: إِنْسَانِيّ (ʔinsāniyy) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Armenian: մարդկային (mardkayin) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Azerbaijani: insani — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Azerbaijani: insanpərvər — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Belarusian: чалаве́чны (čalavjéčny) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Belarusian: гума́нны (humánny) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Bulgarian: хума́нен (humánen) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Bulgarian: чове́чен (čovéčen) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Catalan: humà — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 有人情 (yǒurénqíng) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 人道的 (réndào de) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Czech: lidský — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Czech: humánní — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Danish: human — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Danish: menneskelig — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Dutch: humaan — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Dutch: menselijk — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Esperanto: humana — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Esperanto: homama — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Estonian: inimlik — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Finnish: inhimillinen — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • French: humain — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Georgian: ჰუმანური (humanuri) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • German: human — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • German: menschlich — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Hebrew: אֱנוֹשִׁי (enoshí) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Hindi: मानवोचित (mānvocit) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Hungarian: humánus — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Hungarian: emberséges — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Icelandic: mannúðlegur — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Irish: Críostúil — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Irish: daonna — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Irish: daonnachtúil — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Italian: umano — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Japanese: 人道的 (jindōteki) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Kalmyk: аврңһу (avrñğu) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Kazakh: адамгершілікті (adamgerşılıktı) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Korean: 인도적 (indojeok) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Northern Kurdish: însanî — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Kyrgyz: адамгерчиликтүү (adamgerciliktüü) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Kyrgyz: кишиликтүү (kişiliktüü) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Kyrgyz: адамчыл (adamcıl) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Latvian: cilvēcīgs — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Latvian: humāns — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Lithuanian: žmogiškas — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Lithuanian: humaniškas — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Macedonian: човечки (čovečki) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Macedonian: човечен (čovečen) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Macedonian: хуман (human) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Norwegian Bokmål: human — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Norwegian Bokmål: menneskelig — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Old English: mennisċlīċ — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Pashto: انساني (ensāni) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Persian: انسانی (ensâni) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Polish: ludzki — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Polish: humanitarny — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Portuguese: humano — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Romanian: omenos — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Romanian: uman — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Russian: челове́чный (čelovéčnyj) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Russian: гума́нный (gumánnyj) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Russian: челове́ческий (čelovéčeskij) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Scottish Gaelic: truacanta — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Serbo-Croatian: љу̀дскӣ — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Serbo-Croatian: ху̏ма̄н — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Serbo-Croatian: чо̏вечан — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Serbo-Croatian: чо̏вјечан — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Serbo-Croatian: ljùdskī — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Serbo-Croatian: hȕmān — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Serbo-Croatian: čȍvečan — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Serbo-Croatian: čȍvječan — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Slovak: ľudský — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Slovak: humánny — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Slovene: človečen — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Slovene: človeški — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Slovene: human — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Spanish: humano — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Swedish: human — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Swedish: mänsklig — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Tagalog: makatao — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Tajik: инсонӣ (insoni) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Turkish: insancıl — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Turkmen: adamkärçilikli — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Ukrainian: гума́нний (humánnyj) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Ukrainian: лю́дяний (ljúdjanyj) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Ukrainian: лю́дський (ljúdsʹkyj) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Uzbek: insonparvar — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Uzbek: insoniy — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Yiddish: מענטשלעך (mentshlekh) — with regard for the health and well-being of another
  • Belarusian: гуманіта́рны (humanitárny) — pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the [[humanities]]
  • Bulgarian: хуманита́рен (humanitáren) — pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the [[humanities]]
  • French: humain — pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the [[humanities]]
  • Polish: humanitarny — pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the [[humanities]]
  • Russian: гуманита́рный (gumanitárnyj) — pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the [[humanities]]
  • Ukrainian: гуманіта́рний (humanitárnyj) — pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the [[humanities]]
Real reading context

humane in complete knowledge articles