preternaturally

American  

[pree-ter-nach-er-uh-lee, -nach-ruh-lee, pre-] / ˌpri tərˈnætʃ ər ə li, -ˈnætʃ rə li, ˌprɛ- /

adverb

1. in a way or to a degree that is beyond the ordinary course of nature; exceptionally or abnormally.

   Her voice, preternaturally deep, resonated off the walls like a terrible storm.

2. in a supernatural way or to a supernatural degree.

   The demons in this movie are of course preternaturally strong.

---

Other Word Forms

• unpreternaturally
  adverb

---

Etymology

Origin of preternaturally

preternatural ( def. ) + -ly

---

Explanation

When something happens preternaturally, it's extremely unusual — you could even say it's strange and mysterious. If your dog is preternaturally smart, you may feel like she understands every word you say. This adverb is commonly used to describe things that happen in a bizarre or extraordinary way, particularly if they're hard to explain. A magician may cause your friend to appear to hover preternaturally above the ground, for example. Sometimes its use signals that you can't quite believe your eyes: "Those redwood trees were preternaturally enormous!" The Latin root is praeter naturam, "beyond nature."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preternaturally

Across the board, the staff is genial and preternaturally accommodating.

From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026

This may be because feeling preternaturally gifted can lead to complacency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

While other stars might dislike being photographed off the set, Dean, preternaturally sophisticated about creating an image, reveled in it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025

Maybe it’s because, unless you were born with a preternaturally unshakable self-confidence few of us can claim, there’s a touch of the underdog in all of us.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2025

The whole of the Giant Do-Nut became preternaturally calm.

From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---