preternatural

[ pree-ter-nach-er-uhl, -nach-ruhl ]

/ ˌpri tərˈnætʃ ər əl, -ˈnætʃ rəl /

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adjective

out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal: preternatural powers.

outside of nature; supernatural.

Nearby words

preteritive, preterlegal, preterm, preterm infant, pretermit, preternatural, pretest, pretext, pretexta, pretexting, pretibial fever

Origin of preternatural

1570–80; < Medieval Latin praeternātūrālis, adj. based on Latin phrase praeter nātūram beyond nature. See preter-, natural

SYNONYMS FOR preternatural

1 unusual, extraordinary, unnatural. See miraculous.

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ANTONYMS FOR preternatural

1 ordinary, usual.

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Related forms

pre·ter·nat·u·ral·ism, pre·ter·nat·u·ral·i·ty

[pree-ter-nach-uh-ral-i-tee] /ˌpri tərˌnætʃ əˈræl ɪ ti/, pre·ter·nat·u·ral·ness, nounpre·ter·nat·u·ral·ly, adverbun·pre·ter·nat·u·ral, adjectiveun·pre·ter·nat·u·ral·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for preternatural

He presided over the preternatural creation of 30 million new jobs—and the sharpest rise in median incomes in a generation.
No One’s Going to Challenge Hillary Clinton|Robert Shrum|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is an automatism to him, a preternatural talent for responding exactly, and briskly, with what is expected.
Oren Makes Friends, Not News|Jacob Silverman|October 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Schwarzenegger is adept at disguising his true feelings beneath a mask of preternatural calm, but he was suddenly doubly alert.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Comes Clean|Laurence Leamer|September 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At this point seven faces, like those of the Seven Sleepers, gradually elongated into preternatural extent.
The Uncollected Writings of Thomas de Quincey, Vol. 2|Thomas de Quincey

His lordship had paled a little, and there was about the lines of his mouth a look of preternatural gravity.
The Lion's Skin|Rafael Sabatini
The quiet of Benares during this period was remarkable—I might almost say preternatural.
Life and Work in Benares and Kumaon, 1839-1877|James Kennedy
His great face was yellow and seemed in that moment of a preternatural flabbiness; his beady eyes were beadier than ever.
Captain Blood|Rafael Sabatini
Means less than preternatural would not furnish a conveyance for this treasure.
Edgar Huntley|Charles Brockden Brown

British Dictionary definitions for preternatural

preternatural

/ (ˌpriːtəˈnætʃrəl) /

adjective

beyond what is ordinarily found in nature; abnormal

another word for supernatural

Derived Forms

preternaturally, adverbpreternaturalism, nounpreternaturalness or preternaturality, noun

Word Origin for preternatural

C16: from Medieval Latin praeternātūrālis, from Latin praeter natūram beyond the scope of nature

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

preternatural

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of preternatural

SYNONYMS FOR preternatural

ANTONYMS FOR preternatural

Related forms

Examples from the Web for preternatural

British Dictionary definitions for preternatural

preternatural

adjective

Derived Forms

Word Origin for preternatural