preternatural
Americanadjective
-
out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal.
preternatural powers.
- Synonyms:
- unnatural, extraordinary, unusual
-
outside of nature; supernatural.
adjective
-
beyond what is ordinarily found in nature; abnormal
-
another word for supernatural
Synonym Usage
See miraculous.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of preternatural
First recorded in 1570–80; from Medieval Latin praeternātūrālis, adjective based on Latin phrase praeter nātūram “beyond nature”; see preter-, natural
Explanation
Preternatural describes something that seems oddly abnormal and out of sync with everything else. If you hear a preternatural dog's barking, maybe it sounds like a police siren instead of a howl. Note that preternatural contains the word natural. Preter comes from the Latin word praeter which means "beyond"; so something preternatural is beyond nature. It is less commonly used than unnatural or supernatural but means the same thing. If you lift a truck off the ground and hold it above your head, people will marvel at you and say you have preternatural strength.
Vocabulary lists containing preternatural
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Fault in Our Stars
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: September 10 - 16, 2017
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Always in the same frame, they exude a preternatural comfort that extends beyond familial ties and speaks to their shared life paths.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Dodgers should sit Raman in their dugout come playoff time, because her knack for rallying from behind is almost preternatural.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Whitley uses the same phrase to describe Saar’s preternatural sense of an object’s narrative potential.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Streep might have the preternatural prowess of a woman born to embody characters and perform them before a camera.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
Mom must have mentioned Dad’s preternatural kabob skills, because Mamou put him to work packing the ground beef for kabob koobideh onto skewers.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
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.
