humane
hyoo-MAYNadjMeaning kind and merciful; causing no needless pain
Memory hook HUMAN + E = Extra kind. Add an E to human for Extra kindness: Ada’s humane trap catches the mouse without a scratch, and she lets it go in the garden.
The shelter found a humane way to catch the stray cats without hurting them.
In context The old rules let farm animals be kept in cramped cages, but the new law is more humane: every animal must have room to move, fresh water and shelter.
Similar kind, merciful, compassionate, gentle
Opposite inhumane, cruel, brutal
From Latin humanus, “human”; humane began as another spelling of human and came to mean kind and gentle.