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supernaturalism

American  
[soo-per-nach-er-uh-liz-uhm, -nach-ruh-liz-uhm] / ˌsu pərˈnætʃ ər əˌlɪz əm, -ˈnætʃ rəˌlɪz əm /

noun

  1. supernatural character or agency.

  2. belief in the doctrine of supernatural or divine agency as manifested in the world, in human events, religious revelation, etc.


supernaturalism British  
/ ˌsuːpəˈnætʃrəlɪzəm, -ˈnætʃərə- /

noun

  1. the quality or condition of being supernatural

  2. a supernatural agency, the effects of which are felt to be apparent in this world

  3. belief in supernatural forces or agencies as producing effects in this world

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of supernaturalism

First recorded in 1790–1800; supernatural + -ism


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.

See Examples For:

Myanmar's culture is profoundly influenced by Buddhism-inflected supernaturalism.

From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025

Capturing that movement required a fusion of political didacticism, unabashed melodrama, stage supernaturalism and sitcom beats.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2021

This doesn’t mean that consciousness has anything to do with supernaturalism; it simply means that some questions are not well-posed for our current scientific framework.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 4, 2018

In outlining Japanese supernaturalism, Morton naturally refers to Lafcadio Hearn’s “In Ghostly Japan” and “Kwaidan,” mentioning the eerie and beautiful movie made of the latter.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 16, 2015

The relations of life can be made as impressive as ideas of supernaturalism.

From English Secularism A Confession Of Belief by George Jacob Holyoake

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