Synonyms for humane
- adjective
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Humanistic
2. Compassionate
compassionate, altruistic, gentle, benevolent, good, sympathetic, merciful, kind, tender-hearted, charitable, benign, forgiving, gracious, tender, sympathizing, sympathising UK, mild, pitying, clement, kindly, good-hearted, beneficent, lenient
Definitions
- adj. 1
Having or showing concern for the pain or suffering of another; compassionate.
It is no longer considered humane to perform vivisection on research animals.
- adj. 2
Pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the humanities, especially classical literature or rhetoric.
Related words
- Word family
- humaneness humanize human humanist humanitarian humanity
Choose the right word
Humane denotes what may rightly be expected of mankind at its best in the treatment of sentient beings; a humane enterprise or endeavor is one that is intended to prevent or relieve suffering.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- compassionate My parents taught me to be a compassionate person.
- altruistic Compassion is the most altruistic form of love.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| humane | falling | |
| compassionate | rising | |
| altruistic | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- good1, kind1, mild1
- 5 letters
- human2
- 6 letters
- gentle2, tender2, kindly2, benign2
- 7 letters
- clement2, lenient3, pitying3
- 8 letters
- gracious2, merciful3, humanist3
- 9 letters
- forgiving3, mankindly
- 10 letters
- charitable4, benevolent4, altruistic4, humanistic4, beneficent4
- 11 letters
- sympathetic4
- 12 letters
- humanitarian6, sympathizing4, sympathising
- 13 letters
- compassionate4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (human2 = 2 syllables).