humane

adjective

hu·​mane hyü-ˈmān 

yü-

1

: marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals

humane prison guards

a more humane way of treating farm animals

2

: characterized by or tending to broad humanistic culture : humanistic

humane studies

humanely adverb

humaneness

hyü-ˈmān-nəs 

yü-

noun

Synonyms

• beneficent
• benevolent
• benignant
• compassionate
• good-hearted
• kind
• kindhearted
• kindly
• softhearted
• sympathetic
• tender
• tenderhearted
• warmhearted

Examples of humane in a Sentence

It's not humane to treat animals that way.

Conditions in the prison are more humane now.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adam Smith’s original vision of capitalism was humane, but it has since been contorted by visible hands to become inhumane. —Roy Swan, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024

Never has a war been fought in such a humane way. ... —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 7 Oct. 2024

The Trojan female technique: a novel, effective and humane approach for pest population control Cody Cottier is a contributing writer at Discover who loves exploring big questions about the universe and our home planet, the nature of consciousness, the ethical implications of science and more. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2024

After the beloved Eurasian owl Flaco was found dead with rat poison in his system, animal advocates called for rat birth control as a more humane way to control the city’s rat population. —Clio Chang, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English humain

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

humane

adjective

hu·​mane hyü-ˈmān 

yü-

: marked by sympathy or consideration for others

humanely adverb

humaneness

-ˈmān-nəs 

noun