subhuman

adj, noun — 4 senses

subhuman

adj

[sʌbˈhjuːmən]

Etymology From sub- + human.

› Less than human.

1

Offensive, Often 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".
2

As asserted of animals.

  • We say dolphin intelligence is subhuman; I suspect dolphins say our intelligence is subdolphin.
  • In the belief system of his day, chimpanzees were described as subhuman and asserted to be incapable of feeling pain.
Derived terms
subhumanize, subhumanly, subhumanness

subhuman

noun

Etymology From sub- + human.

1

Offensive, Sometimes Any sentient creature that is subhuman.

  • Near-synonym: nonperson
2

A man who ranks at the bottom percentile or decile of SMV; a truecel

Related terms
neanderthal, prehuman, troglodyte, unhuman

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.