subhuman

UK: /ˌsʌbˈhjuːmən/

US: /ˌsʌbˈhjumən/

US: (sub hyo̅o̅′mən or, often, -yo̅o̅′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

sub•hu•man /ˌsʌbˈhyumən/   n. [countable]

1. one who acts in a way showing that he or she lacks basic human qualities in feelings, thinking ability, etc.
2. a person or animal lower in some way than a human.

adj. 

3. acting in a way beneath the level of a human, as by being cruel, horrible, etc.
4. lower in some way than a human, as in development.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

sub•hu•man  (sub hyo̅o̅′mən or, often, -yo̅o̅′-), adj. 

1. Zoology less than or not quite human.
2. Zoology almost human:
   In some respects, the porpoise is subhuman.

• sub- + human 1785–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

subhuman / sʌbˈhjuːmən/ adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating animals that are below man (Homo sapiens) in evolutionary development
2. less than human