noun
inhumanity
in-hyoo-MAN-ih-tee/ˌɪnhjuːˈmænəti/
Extreme cruelty or lack of compassion toward others.
The prisoners' accounts reveal the inhumanity of their captors.
Etymology
The noun ending turns inhuman into a quality expressed in conduct. Its Latin ancestor already named savagery and rudeness, connecting the word with cruel treatment of others.
In context
The fictional image of the poorhouse as a place of gross inhumanity, enforced deprivation, and unspeakable insensitivity had some basis in fact.
More examples
- Denying hungry children food is an act of inhumanity.
- She speaks out against the inhumanity of separating families.
- The memoir describes the inhumanities inflicted on civilians during the war.
Forms
inhumanity · inhumanities
inhuman adjective — Extremely cruel or lacking compassion for others.
inhumanely adverb — In a cruel and unfeeling manner.
Similar words
- cruelty
- Emphasizes deliberately causing suffering, whether physical or emotional.
- brutality
- Emphasizes savage violence or harsh treatment of others.
- callousness
- Emphasizes indifference to suffering rather than acts of violence.