humane

adjective

hu·​mane hyü-ˈmān How to pronounce humane (audio)
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 noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for humane 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English humain

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of humane was in 1552

Dictionary Entries Near humane

Cite this Entry

“Humane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humane. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

humane

adjective
hu·​mane hyü-ˈmān How to pronounce humane (audio)
yü-
: marked by sympathy or consideration for others
humanely adverb
humaneness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on humane

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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