paranormal

[ par-uh-nawr-muhl ]

/ ˌpær əˈnɔr məl /

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See synonyms for paranormal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to the claimed occurrence of an event or perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception, or other purportedly supernatural phenomena.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of paranormal

First recorded in 1915–20; para-¹ + normal

OTHER WORDS FROM paranormal

par·a·nor·mal·ly, adverb

Words nearby paranormal

paranasal, parang, paranoia, paranoid, paranoid schizophrenia, paranormal, Paranthropus, Paranthropus boisei, Paranthropus robustus, paranymph, parapara

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use paranormal in a sentence

While it was Halloween last week, that sort of “ghostly” string behavior would simply have been too paranormal.
Can You Make An Unfair Coin Fair?|Zach Wissner-Gross|November 6, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
It definitely didn’t begin with grand ideas about human psychology and the paranormal, or about flaws and acceptance.
Someone out there wants to adopt your creepy toys. There’s a matchmaker for that.|Maureen O'Hagan|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
“A lot of people don’t want to talk about the paranormal because they’re scared what other people will think,” she said.
Someone out there wants to adopt your creepy toys. There’s a matchmaker for that.|Maureen O'Hagan|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Some evidence even suggests that people with underlying brain disorders tend to have paranormal confrontations that are more intense and negative than the average brush with the beyond.
Why do we see ghosts?|Jake Bittle|October 6, 2020|Popular-Science

This “feeling of a presence” phenomenon has more general implications for the hard-to-study field of the paranormal too.
Why do we see ghosts?|Jake Bittle|October 6, 2020|Popular-Science
His weeknight program, “Coast-to-Coast AM,” discussed aliens, paranormal activity, and shadowy government cover-ups.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After a decade of managing the Borden home, Wilber is chock-full of stories of hauntings and paranormal sightings.
Would You Stay in Lizzie Borden’s Ax-Murder House?|Nina Strochlic|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In her memoir, Giving Up the Ghost, Mantel writes of her own childhood encounters with the paranormal.
Hilary Mantel Visits the Twilight Zone|Jennie Yabroff|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They have had a spiritual or numinous or paranormal experience at some point in their own lives.
Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven|Patricia Pearson|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Paranormalsocieties.com, an online national paranormal directory, has over 4,000 paranormal groups registered to its website.
True Life: I’m a Part-Time Ghost Hunter|Christine Pelisek|September 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They were fellow pariahs, Suspended for one reason or another from paraNormal privileges.
Cerebrum|Albert Teichner
As for photographs, I have never obtained any paranormal ones.
Metapsychical Phenomena|J. Maxwell
But my principle is not to let these considerations have any weight, when judging of a paranormal fact.
Metapsychical Phenomena|J. Maxwell
I have just pointed out in detail certain purely physical processes for provoking the production of paranormal phenomena.
Metapsychical Phenomena|J. Maxwell
There is a synergy between their movements and their muscular contractions and the forthcoming paranormal movements.
Metapsychical Phenomena|J. Maxwell

British Dictionary definitions for paranormal

paranormal

/ (ˌpærəˈnɔːməl) /

adjective

beyond normal explanation

noun

the paranormal paranormal happenings generally

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

paranormal

Origin of paranormal

OTHER WORDS FROM paranormal

Words nearby paranormal

Words related to paranormal

How to use paranormal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for paranormal