subhuman en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- [sʌbˈhjuːmən]
- (Mid-Atlantic, US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub-der. English sub- Latin hūmānusbor. Old French umain Middle French humainbor. Middle English humayne English human English subhuman From sub- + human.
Meanings
-
(offensive, often) Less than human. ▸ As asserted of humans.
A secret to Nazi power was that anyone from the ingroup could be turned upon and labeled as subhuman scum when some alleged Jewish ancestry was suddenly "discovered".
-
Less than human. ▸ As asserted of animals.
In the belief system of his day, chimpanzees were described as subhuman and asserted to be incapable of feeling pain.
We say dolphin intelligence is subhuman; I suspect dolphins say our intelligence is subdolphin.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more subhuman | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most subhuman | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
suprahuman · ultrahuman · superhuman
Coordinates
Deriveds
subhumanness · subhumanly · subhumanize
Synonyms
Translations (9)
mk потчовечки (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human) · pt sub-humano (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human) · gv fo-gheiney (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human) · el ζωώδης (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human) · ka ქვეადამიანი (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human) · ga fodhaonna (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human) · sv undermänsklig (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human) · it subumano (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human) · ro subuman (less than human; lacking characteristics of a human)