non-human

Language: en

🇺🇸 /nɑˈnhjuːmən/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Not belonging to or characteristic of human beings; not human in nature, origin, or appearance.; Relating to animals, plants, or other living organisms as distinct from humans, especially in scientific or ethical contexts.; Lacking qualities typically associated with humanity, such as compassion, reason, or moral sensibility; inhuman or superhuman.; Of or relating to artificial intelligence, machines, or entities that possess intelligence or agency but are not biological humans.
  2. noun
    A being or entity that is not human, such as an animal, alien, artificial intelligence, or supernatural creature.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: non-humans

Collocations

non-human animalnon-human primatenon-human intelligencenon-human entitynon-human species

Derivatives

nonhumannon-humanity

Synonyms

non-anthropoidanimal

Antonyms

human

Commonly confused

inhuman
EN: 'Inhuman' means cruel or lacking human compassion; 'non-human' simply means not belonging to the human species.
nonhuman
EN: 'Nonhuman' is an accepted alternative spelling without the hyphen; both forms are correct, though 'non-human' is more common in formal and academic writing.

Spelling tips

EN: Both 'non-human' (hyphenated) and 'nonhuman' (closed) are acceptable; the hyphenated form is preferred in most style guides, especially before a noun.

💬 Examples

  1. The researchers studied non-human primates to understand the evolution of social behavior.

  2. The new legislation aims to improve the welfare of non-human animals used in laboratory testing.

  3. The prisoners were subjected to non-human conditions of confinement.

  4. Philosophers continue to debate whether non-human intelligences could possess consciousness.

  5. The science fiction novel explored the rights of non-humans in a future society.