unnatural

[uhn-nach-er-uhl, -nach-ruhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unnatural ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

contrary to the laws or course of nature.

at variance with the character or nature of a person, animal, or plant.

at variance with what is normal or to be expected: the unnatural atmosphere of the place.

lacking human qualities or sympathies; monstrous; inhuman: an obsessive and unnatural hatred.

not genuine or spontaneous; artificial or contrived: a stiff, unnatural manner.

Obsolete. lacking a valid or natural claim; illegitimate.

Origin of unnatural

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at un-¹, natural

Related formsun·nat·u·ral·ly, adverbun·nat·u·ral·ness, noun

Synonyms for unnatural

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unnatural ON THESAURUS.COM

3. irregular, aberrant. 4. heartless, brutal.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for unnatural

unusual, perverse, stilted, incredible, abnormal, outlandish, preposterous, outrageous, strange, bizarre, odd, affected, aberrant, anomalous, assumed, contrary, contrived, ersatz, extraordinary, factitious

Examples from the Web for unnatural

Contemporary Examples of unnatural

Death by pills or lethal injection might be unnatural, but she believes that declining nourishment and medications is not.
The Nurse Coaching People Through Death by Starvation
Nick Tabor
November 17, 2014
The group is working on inserting the unnatural base pairs in more than one spot in the cell.
Synthetic DNA: The New Drug Makers?
Elizabeth Lopatto
May 18, 2014
Not only is post-Yanukovych Ukraine dominated by a fascist clique, it is controlled by unnatural women.
Want a Good Look at Putin’s Pervy Propaganda? See ‘The Furies of Maidan’
Cathy Young
April 25, 2014
Now in his 80s, Blankenship claims to have charted out tunnels, corridors, and large, unnatural underground caverns.
Treasure Hunt to Discover Oak Island’s Mysterious Booty
Nina Strochlic
February 27, 2014
Above water, unnatural animal and human interactions continue to rise.
How Climate Change Is Causing Chaos in the Animal Kingdom
Nina Strochlic
January 23, 2014

Historical Examples of unnatural

What the unnatural father would have done next, I do not know.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
For a moment she felt the full swinging of it; it did not seem at all strange or unnatural to her.
The Dream
Emile Zola
I beg of you to persist in your address—the unnatural brother called it address!
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Are we to be exposed to this unnatural conduct every moment of our lives?
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
Arthur spoke presently, his tone so calm a one as almost to be unnatural.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for unnatural

unnatural

adjective

contrary to nature; abnormal

not in accordance with accepted standards of behaviour or right and wrongunnatural love

uncanny; supernaturalunnatural phenomena

affected or forcedan unnatural manner

inhuman or monstrous; wickedan unnatural crime

obsolete illegitimate

Derived Formsunnaturally, adverbunnaturalness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for unnatural

adj.

early 15c., "not in accord with physical nature," from un- (1) "not" + natural (adj.). Meaning "artificial" is attested from 1746; that of "at variance with moral standards" is from 1520s.