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.

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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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

In addition to her naturalness on-camera, Feltner explained, Folan just happened to be preternaturally good at the technical aspects of shooting a 30-minute show.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 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

Such moments have allowed even one of the most preternaturally talented athletes of his generation to show a human side too.

From BBC • Jul. 16, 2025

It is quite possible that she did not believe in any other tendencies in humans, for while she was preternaturally alert in some directions she was completely blind in others.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck