preternatural
adjective
pre·ter·nat·u·ral ˌprē-tər-ˈna-chə-rəl 
-ˈnach-rəl,
pre-
1
: existing outside of nature
2
: exceeding what is natural or regular : extraordinary
wits trained to preternatural acuteness by the debates
G. L. Dickinson
G. L. Dickinson3
: inexplicable by ordinary means
especially : psychic
preternatural phenomena
preternaturally
ˌprē-tər-ˈna-chə-rə-lē
adverb -ˈnach-rə-
-ˈna-chər-
pre-
preternaturalness
ˌprē-tər-ˈna-chə-rəl-nəs
noun -ˈnach-rəl-
pre-
Did you know?
Preternatural derives from the Latin phrase praeter naturam, which means "beyond nature." Medieval Latin scholars rendered the term as praeternaturalis, and that form inspired the modern English version. Unusual things are sometimes considered positive and sometimes negative, and throughout its history preternatural has been used to refer to both exceptionally good things and unnaturally evil ones. In its earliest documented uses in the 1500s, it tended to emphasize the strange, ominous, or foreboding, but by the 1700s, people were using it more benignly to refer to fascinating supernatural (or even heavenly) phenomena. Nowadays, people regularly use it to describe the remarkable abilities of exceptional humans.
Synonyms
- aberrant
- aberrated
- abnormal
- anomalous
- atypical
- especial
- exceeding
- exceptional
- extraordinaire
- extraordinary
- freak
- odd
- peculiar
- phenomenal
- rare
- singular
- uncommon
- uncustomary
- unique
- unusual
- unwonted
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She has a preternatural ability to charm people. There was a preternatural quiet in the house.
Recent Examples on the Web The attorney general, for all his preternatural caution, doesn’t sound inclined to shrink from the implications of the evidence. Doyle Mcmanus, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 This worked, in part, because these guys had something: preternatural confidence, and personal charisma. Rebecca Onion, The New Republic, 19 Aug. 2022 Second, the vignette illuminates Frankfurter’s preternatural penchant for spotting, cultivating, and advancing talented young men. Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022 The bar was set by Hailey Bieber, who touted her skin-care collection by showing off her preternatural glow. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2022 In Andy’s studio, a bowl of deep purple mussel shells stained with paint sit on a table next to an easel; Wyeth mixed his delicate egg tempera pigments in those shells, which lent them their preternatural tones. Murray Whyte, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022 The preternatural level of detail on view, and its glorious range of grays and blacks, require negatives the size of a man’s hand, a tripod as big as a sapling, lens filters and an advanced darkroom technique. New York Times, 28 July 2022 For a man not noted for empathy, Harvey had a preternatural ability to detect people’s vanities and private passions. Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 July 2022 Born into a musical family, his preternatural gifts earned him a following as a teenager. Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2022 See More
Doyle Mcmanus, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 This worked, in part, because these guys had something: preternatural confidence, and personal charisma. Rebecca Onion, The New Republic, 19 Aug. 2022 Second, the vignette illuminates Frankfurter’s preternatural penchant for spotting, cultivating, and advancing talented young men. Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022 The bar was set by Hailey Bieber, who touted her skin-care collection by showing off her preternatural glow. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2022 In Andy’s studio, a bowl of deep purple mussel shells stained with paint sit on a table next to an easel; Wyeth mixed his delicate egg tempera pigments in those shells, which lent them their preternatural tones. Murray Whyte, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022 The preternatural level of detail on view, and its glorious range of grays and blacks, require negatives the size of a man’s hand, a tripod as big as a sapling, lens filters and an advanced darkroom technique. New York Times, 28 July 2022 For a man not noted for empathy, Harvey had a preternatural ability to detect people’s vanities and private passions. Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 July 2022 Born into a musical family, his preternatural gifts earned him a following as a teenager. Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Medieval Latin praeternaturalis, from Latin praeter naturam beyond nature
First Known Use
1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1
preternatural
adjective
1
as in extraordinary
being out of the ordinary an editor with a preternatural sense of what will interest the book-buying public Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- extraordinary
- exceptional
- unusual
- abnormal
- unique
- rare
- uncommon
- singular
- remarkable
- odd
- outstanding
- freak
- anomalous
- unwonted
- incredible
- exceeding
- peculiar
- phenomenal
- especial
- aberrant
- atypical
- noticeable
- uncustomary
- striking
- freakish
- notable
- conspicuous
- strange
- eccentric
- bizarre
- extraordinaire
- aberrated
- salient
- prominent
- inconceivable
- deviant
- unimaginable
- incomprehensible
- weird
- outlandish
- oddball
- monstrous
- unthinkable
- quaint
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ordinary
- normal
- common
- usual
- customary
- typical
- unextraordinary
- unexceptional
- familiar
- frequent
- everyday
2
as in supernatural
of, relating to, or being part of a reality beyond the observable physical universe an investigator of preternatural phenomena Synonyms & Similar Words
- supernatural
- paranormal
- otherworldly
- mystical
- metaphysical
- transcendental
- unearthly
- transcendent
- mystic
- celestial
- psychic
- extrasensory
- spiritual
- psychical
- divine
- spiritistic
- spiritualistic
- supersensory
- numinous
- occult
- unworldly
- supersensible
- heavenly
- ethereal
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- natural
- earthly
- mundane
3
as in superhuman
being so extraordinary or abnormal as to suggest powers which violate the laws of nature a preternatural ability to predict how the stock market will perform Synonyms & Similar Words
- superhuman
- uncanny
- magical
- miraculous
- supernatural
- remarkable
- unearthly
- transcendental
- transcendent
- supernormal
- phenomenal
- strange
- unique
- eerie
- peculiar
- bizarre
- outstanding
- freakish
- curious
- unusual
- grotesque
- rare
- unnatural
- weird
- mystifying
- singular
- unwonted
- prodigious
- uncommon
- marvelous
- bewildering
- confounding
- outré
- baffling
- idiosyncratic
- freak
- perplexing
- quirky
- outlandish
- puzzling
- outrageous
- eery
- kinky
- screwy
- marvellous
- aberrant
- wacky
- shocking
- atypical
- funny
- quaint
- fantastical
- far-out
- notable
- striking
- wild
- way-out
- whacky
- conspicuous
- queerish
- flaky
- noticeable
- queer
- unconventional
- unorthodox
- fantastic
- salient
- prominent
- out-of-the-way
- uncustomary
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ordinary
- usual
- prosaic
- average
- typical
- unremarkable
- commonplace
- routine
- everyday
- familiar
- garden
- unexceptional
- workaday
- predictable
- habitual
- common
- run-of-the-mill
- customary
- regular
- frequent
- expected
- wonted