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
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
Jeremy Helligar, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 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
Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 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
See All Example Sentences for subhuman
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Adjective
Troublemaker, named for the colloquial English translation of Mandela's Xhosa birth name, documents the indignities and subhuman conditions Mandela endured at Robben Island, where he was sent after being convicted of sabotage in June of 1964 and sentenced to life in prison.
—Jeremy Helligar, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 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
Noun
Donald Trump’s administration has described immigrants not as neighbors but as threats, and even as subhuman.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 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
See All Example Sentences for subhuman
Cite this Entry
“Subhuman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subhuman. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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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