paranormal

American  

[par-uh-nawr-muhl] / ˌpær əˈnɔr məl /

adjective

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

---

paranormal British  

/ ˌpærəˈnɔːməl /

adjective

1. beyond normal explanation

---

noun

1. paranormal happenings generally

Other Word Forms

• paranormally adverb

Etymology

Origin of paranormal

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

Example Sentences

“Anything slightly paranormal. And right now it’s the Spirit of the Sea. If they try to rope you into talking about it, pretend you have to go to the bathroom. That usually works.”

From Literature

“It was a paranormal emergency; surely you, of all people, would understand,” he whispered, before she frantically shushed him.

From Literature

Is something paranormal afoot or is the rupture in Montessori’s mind?

From The Wall Street Journal

They swapped rooms but the stay was - sadly - uneventful in paranormal terms.

From BBC

“People would call in and give their accounts of all the paranormal sightings they would see,” she recalls.

From Los Angeles Times