Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion.
  • adjective Characterized by an emphasis on humanistic values and concerns.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to man; human. See human, a.
  • Profane; secular. See human, a., 2.
  • Having the feelings and inclinations proper to man; having tenderness, compassion, and a disposition to treat other human beings and the lower animals with kindness; kind; benevolent.
  • Tending to humanize or refine: applied to the elegant or polite branches of literature, especially philology, rhetoric, poetry, and the study of the ancient classics. See humanity, 5.
  • Synonyms Humane, Merciful; tender, tender-hearted, kind-hearted, compassionate, sympathetic. Humane differs from the ordinary use of merciful in that it expresses active endeavors to find and relieve suffering, and especially to prevent it, while merciful expresses the disposition to spare one the suffering which might be inflicted. The good Samaritan was humane; Shylock should have been merciful; the Royal Humane Society; a merciful judge.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Pertaining to man; human.
  • adjective Having the feelings and inclinations creditable to man; having a disposition to treat other human beings or animals with kindness; kind; benevolent.
  • adjective Humanizing; exalting; tending to refine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Having or showing concern for the pain or suffering of another; compassionate.
  • adjective Pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the humanities, especially classical literature or rhetoric.
  • adjective Obsolete spelling of human.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective marked or motivated by concern with the alleviation of suffering
  • adjective showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement
  • adjective pertaining to or concerned with the humanities

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English humain, human; see human.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Variant form of human, now preserved in specialized senses.

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Examples

  • Lyman focuses on the term humane meat, asking if killing can be humane and asserting that the only reason we eat meat is because we have an addiction to fat.

    AlterNet.org Main RSS Feed EcoSalon Vanessa Barrington 2010

  • On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.

    Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011

  • Chances are, if you get into a conversation about the conditions in which animals are raised for food in the United States, you will hear the word "humane" sooner or later.

    Nil Zacharias: Humane Meat Is the Solution to What, Again? Nil Zacharias 2011

  • Chances are, if you get into a conversation about the conditions in which animals are raised for food in the United States, you will hear the word "humane" sooner or later.

    Nil Zacharias: Humane Meat Is the Solution to What, Again? Nil Zacharias 2011

  • Chances are, if you get into a conversation about the conditions in which animals are raised for food in the United States, you will hear the word "humane" sooner or later.

    Nil Zacharias: Humane Meat Is the Solution to What, Again? Nil Zacharias 2011

  • On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.

    Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011

  • On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.

    Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011

  • On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.

    Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011

  • On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.

    Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011

  • Chances are, if you get into a conversation about the conditions in which animals are raised for food in the United States, you will hear the word "humane" sooner or later.

    Nil Zacharias: Humane Meat Is the Solution to What, Again? Nil Zacharias 2011

Comments

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  • "There are certain things you can truly count on when you see that Nature’s Acres label at your local supermarket. One, our products are USDA certified organic. Two, every cut of Nature’s Acres beef is minimally processed and contains absolutely no artificial hormones or antibiotics—ever! Three, all of our cows were grasped by the nostrils using cast iron nose tongs and had their heads violently wrenched backward so we could slash right through their carotid artery and windpipe with an 18-inch blade. And four, you’ll experience a rich beef taste you just can’t beat. Mmm, mmm!

    And you can take heart knowing that Nature’s Acres has earned the “Animal Welfare Approved” and “Certified Humane” seals of approval from independent inspectors."

    - Hank T. Norman, We Raise All Our Beef Humanely On Open Pasture And Then We Hang Them Upside Down And Slash Their Throats, The Onion, 22 Jan 2013.

    January 24, 2013