supernatural
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Not existing in nature or subject to explanation according to natural laws.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
soopernacheruhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
supɚˈnætʃɚəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Not existing in nature or subject to explanation according to natural laws; not physical or material
“Supernatural forces and occurrences and beings.”
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.
Not of the usual; not natural; altered by forces that are not understood fully, if at all.
noun
uncountable
Supernatural beings and events collectively (when used with definite article: "the supernatural")
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Not existing in nature or subject to explanation according to natural laws; not physical or material
Used this way, supernatural is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a legal use: the wording is institutional and carries a defined meaning in law rather than a loose everyday one.
“Supernatural forces and occurrences and beings.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Law/legal
- Government/politics
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- phantasmal , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use supernatural
- “Supernatural forces and occurrences and beings.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An incorporeal being believed to have powers to affect the course of human events.
According to Christian ethics: one of the three virtues (faith, hope, and charity) created by God to round out the natural virtues.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Antonyms
Sense: not existing in nature
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.