sub·hu·man
ˌsəb-ˈhyü-mən 
-ˈyü-
: less than human: such as
a
: failing to attain the level (as of morality or intelligence) associated with normal human beings
b
: unsuitable to or unfit for human beings
subhuman living conditions
c
: of or relating to a taxonomic group lower than that of humans
the subhuman primates
: a subhuman being
Synonyms
Examples of subhuman in a Sentence
Adjective
The prisoners suffered subhuman treatment.
years of grinding poverty that had reduced them to a subhuman existence
Recent Examples on the Web
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024
So, yeah, there are Muslim terrorists, but they are also shown as people with lives and interests and not subhuman villains, which, umm, could’ve been worse.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2024
Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2024
The brawl, which Ah Sahm wins handily, is the kind of thing that a nonwhite person fantasizes about after being treated as subhuman—a kick-ass solution to a miasmic attack.
—Jasper Lo, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for subhuman 
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Adjective
Cinematographers Alejandro Chávez and Trevor Roach shoot the underworld where the victims work and live with limited light sources creating a drab, oppressive environment that highlight the subhuman conditions they are subjected to.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024
So, yeah, there are Muslim terrorists, but they are also shown as people with lives and interests and not subhuman villains, which, umm, could’ve been worse.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2024
Noun
Underneath their discussions about democracy, rationalism, and religion lies one consensus: Women are subordinate and subhuman.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2024
The brawl, which Ah Sahm wins handily, is the kind of thing that a nonwhite person fantasizes about after being treated as subhuman—a kick-ass solution to a miasmic attack.
—Jasper Lo, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for subhuman
Dictionary Entries Near subhuman
Cite this Entry
“Subhuman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subhuman. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
subhuman
adjective
sub·hu·man
ˌsəb-ˈhyü-mən, ˈsəb-, -ˈyü-
: of or relating to a taxonomic group lower than that of humans
the subhuman primates
subhuman
noun
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