humane

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: hu=mane

CIDE DICTIONARY

humane, a. [L. humanus: cf. F. humain. See Human.].

•  Pertaining to man; human.  Jer. Taylor.  [1913 Webster]
•  Having the feelings and inclinations creditable to man; having a disposition to treat other human beings or animals with kindness; kind; benevolent.  [1913 Webster]

  "Of an exceeding courteous and humane inclination."  [1913 Webster]
•  Humanizing; exalting; tending to refine.

Syn. -- Kind; sympathizing; benevolent; mild; compassionate; gentle; tender; merciful.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

humane, adj.
1 benevolent, compassionate.
2 inflicting the minimum of pain.
3 (of a branch of learning) tending to civilize or confer refinement.

Idiom

humane killer an instrument for the painless slaughter of animals.

Derivative

humanely adv. humaneness n.

Etymology

var. of HUMAN, differentiated in sense in the 18th c.

THESAURUS

humane

Christian, Christlike, Christly, accepting, affectionate, altruistic, benevolent, benign, benignant, bleeding, brotherly, charitable, chickenhearted, clement, commiserative, compassionate, condolent, decent, easy, easygoing, eleemosynary, forbearant, forbearing, forgiving, fraternal, gentle, good, gracious, human, humanitarian, kind, kindhearted, kindly, kindly-disposed, lax, lenient, loving, melting, merciful, mild, moderate, nice, patient, philanthropic, pitying, ruthful, soft, softhearted, sympathetic, sympathizing, tender, tenderhearted, tolerant, understanding, warm, warmhearted

ROGET THESAURUS

humane

Benevolence

N benevolence, Christian charity, God's love, God's grace, good will, philanthropy, unselfishness, good nature, good feeling, good wishes, kindness, kindliness, loving-kindness, benignity, brotherly love, charity, humanity, fellow-feeling, sympathy, goodness of heart, warmth of heart, bonhomie, kind-heartedness, amiability, milk of human kindness, tenderness, love, friendship, toleration, consideration, generosity, mercy, charitableness, bounty, almsgiving, good works, beneficence, the luxury of doing good, acts of kindness, a good turn, good offices, kind offices good treatment, kind treatment, good Samaritan, sympathizer, bon enfant, altruist, benevolent, kind, kindly, well-meaning, amiable, obliging, accommodating, indulgent, gracious, complacent, good-humored, warm-hearted, kind-hearted, tender-hearted, large-hearted, broad- hearted, merciful, charitable, beneficent, humane, benignant, bounteous, bountiful, good-natured, well-natured, spleenless, sympathizing, sympathetic, complaisant, well-meant, well-intentioned, fatherly, motherly, brotherly, sisterly, paternal, maternal, fraternal, sororal, friendly, with a good intention, with the best intentions, Int, Godspeed!, much good may it do!, act a charity sometimes, a tender heart, a will inflexible, de mortuis nil nisi bonum, say only good things about the dead, don't speak ill of the dead, kind words are more than coronets, quando amigo pide no hay manana, the social smile, the sympathetic tear.

Philanthropy

N philanthropy, humanity, humanitarianism universal benevolence, endaemonism, deliciae humani generis, cosmopolitanism utilitarianism, the greatest happiness of the greatest number, social science, sociology common weal, socialism, communism, Fourierism, phalansterianism, Saint Simonianism, patriotism, civism, nationality, love of country, amor patriae, public spirit, chivalry, knight errantry, generosity, philanthropist, endaemonist, utilitarian, Benthamite, socialist, communist, cosmopolite, citizen of the world, amicus humani generis, knight errant, patriot, philanthropic, humanitarian, utilitarian, cosmopolitan, public- spirited, patriotic, humane, large-hearted, chivalric, generous, pro bono publico, pro aris et focis, humani nihil a me alienum puto, omne solum forti patria, un bien fait n'est jamais perdu.

Pity

N pity, compassion, commiseration, bowels, of compassion, sympathy, fellow-feeling, tenderness, yearning, forbearance, humanity, mercy, clemency, leniency, charity, ruth, long- suffering, melting mood, argumentum ad misericordiam, quarter, grace, locus paenitentiae, sympathizer, advocate, friend, partisan, patron, wellwisher, pitying, pitiful, compassionate, sympathetic, touched, merciful, clement, ruthful, humane, humanitarian, tender, tender hearted, tender as a chicken, soft, soft hearted, unhardened, lenient, exorable, forbearing, melting, weak, Int, for pity's sake!, mercy!, have mercy!, cry you mercy!, God help you!, poor thing!, poor dear!, poor fellow!, woe betide!, quis talia fando temperet a lachrymiss!, one's heart bleeding for, haud ignara mali miseris succurrere disco, a fellow feeling makes one wondrous kind, onor di bocca assai giova e poco costa.