paranormal

[par-uh-nawr-muh l]

See more 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.

Origin of paranormal

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

Related formspar·a·nor·mal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for paranormal

Contemporary Examples

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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

As for photographs, I have never obtained any paranormal ones.
Metapsychical Phenomena
J. Maxwell
Researchers have accumulated data on the power of prayer and faith, and on paranormal manifestations.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
I have just pointed out in detail certain purely physical processes for provoking the production of paranormal phenomena.
Metapsychical Phenomena
J. Maxwell
The existence of paranormal photography is affirmed by sincere and honourable men, and their experiments deserve to be resumed.
Metapsychical Phenomena
J. Maxwell
At present I am observing a more complex case, in which paranormal phenomena accompany automatic writing.
Metapsychical Phenomena
J. Maxwell

British Dictionary definitions for paranormal

paranormal

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

Word Origin and History for paranormal

adj.

1905, from para- (1) + normal. Related: Paranormally.

paranormal

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}paranormal

Examples from the Web for paranormal

Contemporary Examples

His weeknight program, “Coast-to-Coast AM,” discussed aliens, paranormal activity, and shadowy government cover-ups.

After a decade of managing the Borden home, Wilber is chock-full of stories of hauntings and paranormal sightings.

In her memoir, Giving Up the Ghost, Mantel writes of her own childhood encounters with the paranormal.

They have had a spiritual or numinous or paranormal experience at some point in their own lives.

Paranormalsocieties.com, an online national paranormal directory, has over 4,000 paranormal groups registered to its website.

Historical Examples

As for photographs, I have never obtained any paranormal ones.

Researchers have accumulated data on the power of prayer and faith, and on paranormal manifestations.

I have just pointed out in detail certain purely physical processes for provoking the production of paranormal phenomena.

The existence of paranormal photography is affirmed by sincere and honourable men, and their experiments deserve to be resumed.

At present I am observing a more complex case, in which paranormal phenomena accompany automatic writing.

paranormal

Word Origin and History for paranormal

adj.

Origin of paranormal