INHUMANITY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does inhumanity mean? 

• INHUMANITY (noun)
  The noun INHUMANITY has 2 senses:

1. the quality of lacking compassion or consideration for others

2. an act of atrocious cruelty

  Familiarity information: INHUMANITY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INHUMANITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The quality of lacking compassion or consideration for others

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

inhumaneness; inhumanity

Hypernyms ("inhumanity" is a kind of...):

quality (an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inhumanity"):

atrociousness; atrocity; barbarity; barbarousness; heinousness (the quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumane)

bestiality (the stupid brutal quality of a beast)

mercilessness; unmercifulness (inhumaneness evidenced by an unwillingness to be kind or forgiving)

Derivation:

inhuman (without compunction or human feeling)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An act of atrocious cruelty

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

atrocity; inhumanity

Hypernyms ("inhumanity" is a kind of...):

cruelty; inhuman treatment (a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inhumanity"):

barbarism; barbarity; brutality; savagery (a brutal barbarous savage act)

outrage (a wantonly cruel act)

enormity (an act of extreme wickedness)

 Context examples 

I had supposed him to be despising his fellow-creatures in general, but did not suspect him of descending to such malicious revenge, such injustice, such inhumanity as this.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

It was a dreadful picture of ingratitude and inhumanity; and Anne felt, at some moments, that no flagrant open crime could have been worse.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Ships are sent with the first opportunity; the natives driven out or destroyed; their princes tortured to discover their gold; a free license given to all acts of inhumanity and lust, the earth reeking with the blood of its inhabitants: and this execrable crew of butchers, employed in so pious an expedition, is a modern colony, sent to convert and civilize an idolatrous and barbarous people!

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)