Supernatural

//ˌs(j)uː.pəˈnæ.tʃə.ɹəl// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A supernatural being countable
  2. 2
    supernatural forces and events and beings collectively wordnet
  3. 3
    Supernatural beings and events collectively (when used with definite article: "the supernatural") uncountable

    "Dr Johnson defended Shakespeare's use of the supernatural from the charge of implausibility on the grounds that, "The reality of witchcraft … has in all ages and countries been credited by the common people, and in most by the learned.""

Adjective
  1. 1
    Above nature; beyond or added to nature, often so considered because it is given by a deity or some force beyond that with which humans are born.

    "Near-synonym: paranatural"

  2. 2
    Not of the usual; not natural; altered by forces that are not understood fully, if at all.

    "Near-synonym: paranatural"

Adjective
  1. 1
    not existing in nature or subject to explanation according to natural laws; not physical or material wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
eerieextraordinaryfeymetaphysicalmiraculouspreternatural

Example

More examples

"Totem poles consist of a group of figures that represent animals, birds, fish, mythological beings and supernatural beasts."

Etymology

From Middle English supernatural, supernaturel, from Middle French supernaturel, from Latin supernātūrālis, from super (“above”) + nātūra (“nature; that which we are born with”), from nātus (“born”), perfect passive participle of nāscī (“to be born”) + adjective suffix -ālis. By surface analysis, super- + natural.

Related phrases

supernatural selection

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