Paranormal

adj, noun

adj, noun ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Paranormal phenomenona collectively: all things paranormal; things with paranormality.

    "Our next guest has spent a 40-year career studying the paranormal, and he has some thoughts he wants to share with our audience tonight."

  2. 2
    A person to whom paranormal powers are attributed.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of events, experiences, or phenomenona, that cannot be explained by current scientific understanding or natural laws.

    "“We who study the paranormal always hope for strong readings with our equipment,” explains Nancy."

Adjective
  1. 1
    not in accordance with scientific laws wordnet
  2. 2
    seemingly outside normal sensory channels wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
extrasensoryextrasensoryparanaturalparapsychologicalpreternaturalpreternatural

Antonyms

All antonyms
normal

Example

More examples

"The movie called "Paranormal Activity" was not that much good."

Etymology

From para- (“beyond”) + normal; compare supernatural. First use appears c. 1905.

Related phrases

paranormal romance

More for "paranormal"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.