Subhuman

Subhuman is a dehumanizing designation applied to a person or group, implying they lack essential human qualities. The term is used to strip others of moral and legal status and to justify discrimination, exclusion, or violence. In scholarly and international contexts, subhuman is studied as part of dehumanization—the psychological process by which people are made to seem less than human.

Historically, one of the most well-known uses is the German term Untermensch, employed by Nazi ideology to portray Jews, Romani people, Slavic peoples, and others as inferior. This rhetoric accompanied policies of persecution, enslavement, and genocide. Similar language has appeared in colonial propaganda, eugenics movements, and extremist circles to rationalize demeaning treatment and killings.

In contemporary discourse, the term subhuman is widely condemned as a dehumanizing trope. It is often cited in analyses of hate speech and violent extremism, where such rhetoric is understood as a precursor to discrimination and violence. International law and human rights discourse emphasize that dehumanization undermines protection of human dignity and can be a warning sign of crimes against humanity or genocide.

Notes: while the term can appear in historical or analytical discussions, its use to describe contemporary groups is generally considered inappropriate and harmful. Some writers discuss the term in critical contexts to expose how language degrades people and enables harm. In fiction and speculative contexts, language about non-human beings is sometimes used differently, but such usage is separate from real-world dehumanization.