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.

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Lincolnesque

without interest or significance; dull; insipid.

like or characteristic of Abraham Lincoln.

very high or tall; lofty.

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Words nearby preternatural

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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OTHER WORDS FROM preternatural

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. 2020

Example sentences 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 of preternatural

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