Inhumans

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Entities that lack human qualities or emotions; beings not resembling humans in nature; characters in fiction often portrayed with supernatural or alien traits
2. Creatures devoid of human traits or empathy; entities distinct from ordinary human beings; fictional or mythological beings with extraordinary powers or appearances
3. Beings without typical human characteristics or kindness; individuals or creatures unlike humans in form or behavior; fantastical or alien figures found in stories or legends

Etymology: The word "inhuman" is an English formation from the Latin prefix "in-" (meaning "not") and "humanus," so "inhumans" is simply the plural noun form of that adjective turned into a noun. Its recorded use goes back to the 1500s, when it could describe something lacking pity or kindness, a sense that remains the core of the adjective today. The plural noun that readers most often meet, however, has a specific origin in comics. Marvel Comics introduced the Inhumans in 1965, in "Fantastic Four" #45, as a race of people transformed by the Terrigen Mists, which gave them latent superpowers. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created them, and the name was chosen to suggest beings set apart from ordinary humanity, though the characters themselves were written with a great deal of sympathy.

Synonyms: monsters, brutes, savages, beasts, barbarians

Antonyms: humans, persons, individuals, beings, mortals