Epäinhimilliselle

Epäinhimilliselle is the allative singular form of the Finnish adjective epäinhimillinen, which means “inhuman” or “cruel.” The term is used in both everyday and formal language to describe actions, conditions, or attitudes that are regarded as lacking humanity. The allative form is used when the noun it modifies is in the allative case, for example in phrases like epäinhimilliselle kohtelulle meaning “to inhumane treatment.”

Etymology and meaning: epä- is a negating prefix, attached to ihminen (human) to form ihminen-based compounds. Epäinhimillinen thus conveys a lack of humane qualities. The word is commonly found in discussions of ethics, human rights, law, and policy.

Usage: Epäinhimillinen is frequently employed to characterize acts or practices deemed cruel or degrading. Common collocations include epäinhimillinen kohtelu (inhuman treatment), epäinhimilliset käytännöt (inhuman practices), and epäinhimillinen suhtautuminen (inhumane attitude). The allative form epäinhimilliselle appears when the statement concerns “to” or “toward” the inhuman thing, as in phrases describing responses to such treatment or policies.

Related forms: Finnish adjectives decline like other modifiable words. Related forms include epäinhimillisen (genitive), epäinhimillistä (partitive), epäinhimillinen (nominative singular), and other case forms such as epäinhimillisille, epäinhimilliseltä, and epäinhimillisessä, depending on the case and number. The root contrasts with inhimillinen (humane) and with the broader adjective family describing humanity and cruelty.

See also: epäinhimillinen, inhimillinen, human rights terminology.