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.

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supernaturalism British  

/ -ˈnætʃərə-, ˌsuːpəˈnætʃrəlɪzəm /

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

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Other Word Forms

• antisupernaturalism noun
• antisupernaturalist noun
• antisupernaturalistic adjective
• supernaturalist noun
• supernaturalistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of supernaturalism

First recorded in 1790–1800; supernatural + -ism

Example Sentences

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

From Barron's • Dec. 21, 2025

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

It’s a contest between philosophical worldviews, naturalism and supernaturalism respectively.”

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2014

The consequence was, that secular civilization was released from the sway of religion and its supernaturalism.

From The Next Step in Religion An Essay toward the Coming Renaissance by Sellars, Roy Wood