SUBHUMAN Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

subhuman

adjective

ˌsəb-ˈhyü-mən

Definition of subhuman

as in brute

having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal years of grinding poverty that had reduced them to a subhuman existence

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of subhuman The labor movement undertook two fights, resisting workers being displaced by machines but also resisting workers being treated as machines, subhuman fodder fuelling technological progress. — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2026 Another friend was an evangelical pastor who grew up in the Jim Crow South believing that Black people were subhuman. — John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025 But even past that, Tactics is directly about how the rich and powerful view the poor and weak as almost subhuman, practically delighting in the squalor and suffering normal people go through. — Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025 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, 30 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for subhuman

Recent Examples of Synonyms for subhuman

Adjective

Combined with stealth and an extensive skill tree, these systems encourage players to adapt rather than rely solely on brute force.

— Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
Even the herculean efforts to acquire capabilities for the conflict with Iran largely amounted to a collection of waivers, special actions, and brute-force leadership.

— Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of brute

Adjective

Within a span of four months in Fort Worth last year, Watkins and Snellings were killed in similarly brutal attacks in the Near Southside and Historic Southside sections of the city.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Even so, when investor confidence broke in 1997, the adjustment was swift and brutal.

— MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

After that feral beginning, the rest of the album is mostly contemplative, wistful, and understated, amid cascading guitars and various sounds that are at times acoustic or gently swirling.

— Steve Appleford, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026
And while Shaq stalking pigs in the dark makes for entertaining content, knocking down feral hogs in Texas is also doing landowners a favor.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of feral

Adjective

Those who believe Israelis and Jews capable of such an outrage might feel justified in wishing that such bestial monsters were wiped from the Earth—a shift from disgust to dehumanization to possible destruction that is well charted by social psychologists.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Neither one of these people appears to be enjoying themselves, but the woman soon begins to grunt with the bestial upset of a werewolf under a full moon.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 May 2026

Definition of bestial

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subheads

subhuman

subhumid

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“Subhuman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subhuman. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of subhuman

adjective

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