numinous
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or like a numen; spiritual or supernatural.
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surpassing comprehension or understanding; mysterious.
that element in artistic expression that remains numinous.
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arousing one's elevated feelings of duty, honor, loyalty, etc..
a benevolent and numinous paternity.
adjective
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denoting, being, or relating to a numen; divine
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arousing spiritual or religious emotions
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mysterious or awe-inspiring
Etymology
Origin of numinous
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin nūmin- (stem of nūmen ) numen + -ous
Explanation
Something numinous has a strong religious quality, suggesting the presence of a divine power. When you enter a temple, church, or mosque, you might feel as though you've entered a numinous space. Numinous comes from the Latin numin- meaning "divine power." This word also comes from numen, a word used to describe the spirit or divine power characteristic of a thing or place. However, you don't have to be in a strictly religious environment to experience something numinous; you might see the beauty of a painting or the melody of a song as numinous — if they communicate a spiritual vibe.
Vocabulary lists containing numinous
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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Living below one’s means and avoiding lifestyle creep allows me to access more of what I call my numinous self.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
Other people are already, in some sense, absent—existing only in our mental perception or, these days, in the numinous world of our extended digital consciousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Kirk was after something cooler, grander, more numinous and entirely of the moment: celebrity as a celebration of itself, untethered to any specific skills or accomplishments.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2025
“Is this just sensory stimulation? Is this gesturing at the numinous? Is this referencing the mystical? There’s no meta-narrative here.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2025
“Risley continues her disconcerting deconstruction of perceived gender and its relationship to perceived power, especially in respect to numinous imagery,” she says.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
