nonhuman

See also: non-human

English

Alternative forms

• non-human

Etymology

Etymology tree

English non-

Latin hūmānus

Old French umain

Middle French humainbor.

Middle English humayne

English human

English nonhuman

From non- + human.

Adjective

nonhuman (not comparable)

1. Not human; not of the human race.

   Synonym: ahuman

   nonhuman animals

   nonhuman agents

   • 2019 January 29, Melvin Konner, “A Bold New Theory Proposes That Humans Tamed Themselves”, in The Atlantic‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 9 July 2019:

     Other examples of nonhuman self-domestication in the wild exist—for instance, the Zanzibar red colobus monkey diverged from the mainland African red colobus in similar ways during its island isolation—but bonobos are the closest and most relevant to us.

   • 2020, Michael T. Wilson, “Minecraft Fiction”, in Anne H. Stevens, Molly C. O’Donnell, editors, The Microgenre: A Quick Look at Small Culture, Bloomsbury Academic, →ISBN:

     Much, perhaps most, Minecraft fiction follows the robinsonade template, emphasizing the day-to-day life of a character, including nonhuman characters, striving to survive and thrive in a recognizably Minecraftian world by utilizing its resources.

Usage notes

• The adjectives nonhuman, inhuman, and unhuman have connotative and denotative differences. The word nonhuman is usually a neutrally toned adjective referring to any animals or other life forms that are not humans. The word inhuman is usually an emotionally charged word conveying an idea of inhumaneness, cruelty, emotional coldness, or uncanniness. The word unhuman is less common and usually means the same as inhuman.

Derived terms

• nonhumanness

Noun

nonhuman (plural nonhumans)

1. A creature or thing that is not human.

   Synonym: extrahuman

   • 2002, Keith McMahon, The Fall of the God of Money, page 190:

     The dialectical obverse of this use of opium is the fear that opium will turn humans into nonhumans or antihumans.