[Vocabulary] inhuman vs inhumane

[maoyueh]

Are the sentences below correct and natural? Thank you.

1. Nowadays most people regard capital punishment as inhuman and immoral.
2. Nowadays most people regard capital punishment as inhumane and immoral.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Are the sentences below correct and natural? Thank you.

1. Nowadays most people regard capital punishment as inhuman and immoral.
2. Nowadays most people regard capital punishment as inhumane and immoral.

They are both grammatically correct. One could argue, however, that they have different meanings.

 

[maoyueh]

They are both grammatically correct. One could argue, however, that they have different meanings.

Thank you. But my dictionaries say that both mean "very cruel." As far as these two sentences are concerned, I don't know what their different meanings are. That's why I seek language experts' help. Thanks a lot.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Thank you. But my dictionaries say that both mean "very cruel." As far as these two sentences are concerned, I don't know what their different meanings are. That's why I seek language experts' help. Thanks a lot.

Inhumane means lacking pity or compassion. An example would be the inhumane treatment of animals.
There is some overlap with inhuman, but inhuman is broader.

See here: inhuman - definition of inhuman by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.