Ben Shockley
Executive
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1. : existing outside of nature. 2. : exceeding what is natural or regular : extraordinary. wits trained to preternatural acuteness by the debates G. L. Dickinson. 3. : inexplicable by ordinary means. especially : psychic. preternatural phenomena.
The preternatural (or praeternatural) is that which appears outside, beside or beyond (Latin: præter) the natural. It is "suspended between the mundane and the miraculous".
Preternatural definition: out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal. See examples of PRETERNATURAL used in a sentence.
more than is usual or natural: Anger gave me preternatural strength, and I managed to force the door open. Synonym. otherworldly. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Strange, suspicious and unnatural. aberrant. aberrantly. abnormal.
adjective. formal uk / ˌpriː.təˈnætʃ. ə r. ə l / us / ˌpriː.t̬ɚˈnætʃ.ɚ. ə l / Add to word list. more than is usual or natural: Anger gave me preternatural strength, and I managed to force the door open. Synonym. otherworldly. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Strange, suspicious and unnatural. aberrantly. abnormally. add. freakishly.
Preternatural describes something that seems oddly abnormal and out of sync with everything else. If you hear a preternatural dog's barking, maybe it sounds like a police siren instead of a howl.
What does the word preternatural mean? There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the word preternatural . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
preternatural in American English. (ˌpritərˈnætʃərəl, -ˈnætʃrəl) adjective. 1. out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal. preternatural powers. 2. outside of nature; supernatural. SYNONYMS 1. unusual, extraordinary, unnatural.
Jun 4, 2024 · preternatural (comparative more preternatural, superlative most preternatural) Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange. Synonyms: inexplicable, exceptional, extraordinary, abnormal, uncanny
preternatural. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English pre‧ter‧nat‧u‧ral /ˌpriːtəˈnætʃərəl $ -tər-/ adjective formal 1 beyond what is usual or normal He felt possessed of a preternatural strength and fearlessness. 2 strange, mysterious, and unnatural the preternatural green light —preternaturally adverb The town was ...
