preternatural

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR preternatural ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

outside of nature; supernatural.

Origin of preternatural

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

Related formspre·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

Synonyms for preternatural

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR preternatural ON THESAURUS.COM

1. unusual, extraordinary, unnatural. See miraculous.

Antonyms for preternatural

1. ordinary, usual.

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

Related Words for preternatural

aberrant, anomalous, atypical, deviant, extraordinary, ghostly, inexplicable, irregular, marvelous, miraculous, mysterious, odd, peculiar, strange, superhuman, superior, supernatural, unaccountable, unearthly, unnatural

Examples from the Web for preternatural

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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

Historical Examples of preternatural

In this undertaking he manifests a preternatural astuteness.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
Even my preternatural eagerness could not discern who they were!
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
He was speaking in a deadened voice which had yet a preternatural distinctness.
The Arrow of Gold
Joseph Conrad
And so Ormiston felt, as he stood eyeing it with preternatural gravity.
The Midnight Queen
May Agnes Fleming
Daddy hunted about with a look of preternatural sagacity about him.
Danger! and Other Stories
Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for preternatural

preternatural

adjective

beyond what is ordinarily found in nature; abnormal

another word for supernatural

Derived Formspreternaturally, 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

Word Origin and History for preternatural

adj.

1570s, from Medieval Latin preternaturalis (mid-13c.), from Latin phrase praeter naturam (praeterque fatum) "beyond nature (and beyond fate)," from praeter "beyond" (see preterite) + accusative of natura "nature" (see natural).