numinous
adjective
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Numinous and Supernatural
When people of the 1600s were ruminating on an adjective to reflect their awe of the mystical and supernatural elements of their experiences, they gave the nod to numinous, and quite aptly so. Numinous comes from the Latin word numen, which can mean both “a nod of the head” and “divine will,” the latter sense suggesting a figurative divine nod indicating approval or command. (English users were already using the noun numen, a direct borrowing from Latin, to refer to a spiritual force or influence associated with a particular place or phenomenon.) Numinous is not a common or everyday word, which seems fitting for one used to describe what is far from quotidian, and instead part of the realm of the spiritual, the holy, or the transcendent.
Examples of numinous in a Sentence
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 28 June 2025
Much is achieved through the simple act of exhibiting the numinous paintings of Varo and those of other women such as Leonora Carrington and Dorothea Tanning, who the misogynist Breton counted as muses rather than artists.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
With numinous Neptune officially transiting your dutiful sixth house of health, work, routines and day-to-day affairs, your lifestyle is evolving.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
The following day, one of the most exciting moments of the year arrives, as numinous planet Neptune enters your sign for the first time since the late 1800s.
—Nina Kahn, StyleCaster, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for numinous
Cite this Entry
“Numinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numinous. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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