Speciesism is a term coined by British philosopher Richard Ryder in 1970. It refers to the widely held belief that the human species is inherently superior to other species and so has rights or privileges that are denied to other sentient animals.
We understand that much of the language used when referring to non-human animals is inherently speciesist. As we strive to not only change the systems that oppress non-human animals we must also unlearn the oppressive language our society has been indoctrinated with. We hope that this section of language suggestion adapted from Animal Equality Language and Liberation by Joan Dunayer will help to further advance our advocacy.
Terms to Avoid |
Alternatives |
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Pronouns for Nonhuman Animals |
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that, what, which |
who |
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it |
she (female); he (male); he/she, she/he (hermaphrodite); she, he (particular individual of unknown gender); they (unspecified individual of unknown gender)* |
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Nonhuman/Human Terms |
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animals (excluding humans) |
nonhuman animals, other animals, nonhuman persons |
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apes (excluding humans) |
nonhuman apes, other apes |
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brutal |
cruel, violent, harsh, severe |
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brutish |
coarse, crude, insensitive |
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to calf, to foal, to whelp (etc.) v |
give birth |
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even (as in “Even insects feel”) |
also, too, including, as well (as in “Insects, too, feel) |
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feed on |
eat |
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living things, organisms (excluding humans) |
other living beings, other organisms |
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man, mankind |
humans, human animals, |
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primates (excluding humans) |
nonhuman primates, other primates |
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Food-Industry Terms |
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abattoir, meat plant, packing plant, processing plant (in reference to a killing facility) |
slaughterhouse |
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bacon, ham, pork (etc.) |
pig flesh |
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beef, hamburger, steak (etc.) |
cow flesh |
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beef cow |
cow, captive cow, exploited cow |
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beef industry, pork industry, poultry industry, veal industry (etc.) |
cow-flesh industry, pig-flesh industry, bird-flesh industry, calf-flesh industry (etc.) |
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broiler, roaster (meaning a chicken) |
chicken, captive chicken, exploited chicken |
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cattle |
cow, captive cow, exploited cow |
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cattle ranching |
cow farming, cow exploitation |
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chevon |
goat flesh |
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chicken, lamb, tuna (etc. meaning the food) |
chicken flesh, lamb flesh, tuna flesh (etc.) |
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a chicken, a turkey, a whole bird, a whole fish (etc., in reference to remains) |
chicken remains, turkey remains, bird remains, fish remains (etc.) |
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cutlet, fillet, meat (etc.) |
flesh, muscle |
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dairy goat, milk goat |
captive goat, exploited goat, goat exploited for her milk |
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dairy cow, milk cow |
captive cow, exploited cow, cow exploited for her milk |
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milk (from cows) |
cow milk, dairy milk |
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drumstick |
chicken’s leg, turkey’s leg (etc.) bird’s leg |
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harvest, process (etc., meaning kill) |
slaughter |
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head of cattle |
cows |
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hog, swine |
pig |
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layer, laying hen |
captive hen, exploited hen, hen exploited for her eggs |
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livestock |
exploited nonhuman animals |
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livestock market |
farmed animal auction |
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meat animal |
animal farmed for slaughter |
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meat-packer |
slaughterhouse worker |
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mutton |
sheep flesh |
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poultry (in reference to living birds) |
captive chickens (etc.); exploited chickens (etc.); birds exploited for food |
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spare ribs |
pig ribs |
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stockyard |
slaughterhouse pens, live animal market, |
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sweetbread |
calf thymus, lamb thymus (etc.); calf (etc.) pancreas; calf thymus or pancreas; thymus pancreas; thymus or pancreas |
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veal |
calf flesh |
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veal calf |
captive calf, exploited calf, calf farmed for slaughter |
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fake meat, meat substitute, meat alternative |
plant-meat, plant-based meat, vegan meat |
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Hunting Terms |
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bag, collect, cull, harvest, remove (etc.) |
kill, murder |
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fowl, gamebirds, wildfowl |
hunted birds |
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game preserve, game refuge, shooting preserve, wildlife refuge (that allows hunting) |
hunting area |
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overhunting |
hunting |
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sportsman, trophy hunter |
hunter, nonhuman-animal killer |
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waterfowl (pl.) |
hunted water birds |
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Sportfishing Terms |
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bait |
animal used as bait |
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baitfish |
fish used as bait |
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catch n. |
caught fishes, killed fishes |
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fisherman, sportsman |
fisher, fish killer |
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overfishing |
fishing |
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Zoo and Aquaprison Terms |
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caretaker |
captor |
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collection |
captive animals |
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curator |
captor |
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display animal, exhibit |
captive animals |
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enclosure (in reference to a cage) |
cage |
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habitat, home (in reference to a confinement area) |
confinement area, cage, cell, tank, pool |
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pool (in reference to a tank) |
tank |
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Vivisection Terms |
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euthanize, put down, sacrifice, (etc.) |
kill, murder |
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researcher, scientist (who harms animals) |
vivisector, nonhuman animal experimenter |
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Pet Related Terms |
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aquarium |
small tank |
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companion animal |
nonhuman companion, nonhuman friend |
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destroy |
euthanize |
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discipline, punishment, |
abuse |
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her cat, my dog, your parakeet (etc.) |
her cat companion, my dog friend, your parakeet companion (etc.) |
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mongrel, mutt |
mixed-breed dog |
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shelter (that kills healthy nonhumans) |
kill-shelter |
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terrarium |
glass case, small tank |
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Pelt-Related Terms |
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fox farm, mink ranch (etc.) |
fox confinement facility, mink confinement facility (etc.); fox (etc.) killing facility |
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fur trapper |
trapper, furred-animal killer |
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furrier |
fur farmer |
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Other Terms of Speciesist Abuse |
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animal husbandry |
nonhuman animal exploitation |
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work animal |
nonhuman forced to labor |
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build, create, engineer (a nonhuman animal) |
inbreed, genetically manipulate, genetically harm, insert genes into |
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bullfight |
bull torture, bull murder |
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carcass |
body, corpse, remains |
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cashmere |
goat hair |
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circus animal |
circus captive |
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domestic animal, domesticated animal |
exploited nonhuman, bred nonhuman |
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domestication |
nonhuman enslavement, nonhuman subjugation, forced breeding, manipulated breeding |
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gamecock |
captive cock, cock forced to fight |
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hide n. |
skin |
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leather |
cow skin, dog skin, horse skin, crocodile skin, goat skin, sheep skin, pig skin, ostrich skin (etc.) |
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wool |
sheep hair |
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nuisance animal, pest, varmint, vermin |
resented nonhuman, persecuted nonhuman, targeted nonhuman |
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pest control |
murdering nonhumans, extermination, nonhuman genocide, mass murder of nonhumans |
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predator control, predator removal |
killing predators, murdering predators |
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produce v. (a nonhuman animal) |
breed, breed for exploitation, breed for killing |
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racehorse |
exploited horse, horse forced to race |
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renewable, surplus (in reference to nonhuman animal) |
viewed as disposable |
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resource (in reference to nonhuman animals) |
exploited nonhuman, targeted nonhuman |
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stock n. (in reference to a nonhuman animal) |
nonhuman captives, exploited nonhumans |
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tame v. (a nonhuman animal) |
subjugate, oppress |
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venison |
deer flesh |
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vegetarian |
non-flesheater |
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wildlife |
free living animals |
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wild v. (a nonhuman animal living in the wild) |
living in the natural world |