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]]