Adjacent Words

Preternatural definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PRETERNAT'URAL, a. [L. proeter and natural.] Beyond what is natural, or different from what is natural; irregular. We call those events in the physical world preternatural, which are extraordinary, which are deemed to be beyond or without the ordinary course of things, and yet are not deemed miraculous; in distinction from events which are supernatural, which cannot be produced by physical laws or powers,and must therefore be produced by a direct exertion of omnipotence. We also apply the epithet to things uncommon or irregular; as a preternatural swelling; a preternatural pulse; a preternatural excitement or temper.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: surpassing the ordinary or normal; "Beyond his preternatural affability there is some acid and some steel" - George Will; "his uncanny sense of direction" [syn: preternatural, uncanny]
2: existing outside of or not in accordance with nature; "find transcendental motives for sublunary action"-Aldous Huxley [syn: nonnatural, otherworldly, preternatural, transcendental]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Medieval Latin praeternaturalis, from Latin praeter naturam beyond nature Date: 1580 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> • preternaturally adverb • preternaturalness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. outside the ordinary course of nature; supernatural. Derivatives: preternaturalism n. preternaturally adv.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Preternatural Pre`ter*nat"u*ral (?; 135), a. [Pref. preter + natural.] Beyond of different from what is natural, or according to the regular course of things, but not clearly supernatural or miraculous; strange; inexplicable; extraordinary; uncommon; irregular; abnormal; as, a preternatural appearance; a preternatural stillness; a preternatural presentation (in childbirth) or labor. This vile and preternatural temper of mind. --South. Syn: See Supernatural.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Preternatural abilities, qualities, or events are very unusual in a way that might make you think that unknown forces are involved. (FORMAL) Their parents had an almost preternatural ability to understand what was going on in their children's minds. ADJ: ADJ n • preternaturally It was suddenly preternaturally quiet. ADV: ADV adj

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Irregular (as being aside from the ordinary course of nature, but not necessarily supernatural or miraculous), abnormal, anomalous, unnatural, inexplicable, strange, extraordinary.

Moby Thesaurus

aberrant, anomalous, arcane, atypical, deviant, deviative, eerie, esoteric, extramundane, extraterrestrial, fey, heteroclite, hypernormal, hyperphysical, miraculous, mysterious, nonnatural, numinous, occult, otherworldly, preterhuman, preternormal, pretersensual, psychic, spiritual, superhuman, superior, supermundane, supernatural, supernormal, superphysical, supersensible, supersensual, supramundane, supranatural, transcendental, transmundane, unearthly, unhuman, unnatural, unrepresentative, untypical, unworldly