paranormal

adjective

para·​nor·​mal ˌper-ə-ˈnȯr-məl 

ˌpa-rə-;

ˈper-ə-ˌnȯr-,

ˈpa-rə-

: not scientifically explainable : supernatural

paranormal noun

paranormality

ˌper-ə-ˌnȯr-ˈma-lə-tē 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

paranormally

ˌper-ə-ˈnȯr-mə-lē 

ˌpa-rə-;

ˈper-ə-ˌnȯr-

ˈpa-rə-

adverb

Synonyms

• supernatural
• metaphysical
• transcendental

Examples of paranormal in a Sentence

there are rumors that the old deserted mansion is the site of paranormal activity

Recent Examples on the Web

Last March, paranormal investigator and Ghost Adventures star Aaron Goodwin was informed that his wife Victoria Goodwin had helped hatch an alleged murder-for-hire plot against him. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025

The fact that paranormal experts Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) dealt with horrors in real life adds to the fear factor of James Wan's franchise starter, which focused on a Rhode Island family, their rundown farmhouse and some witchiness. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025

Daily and nightly tours now offer visitors its complex history, along with an occasional paranormal scare. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025

Despite the crime scene's ghostly reputation, no evidence of paranormal activity has ever been proven. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing paranormal

• the paranormal

Rhymes for paranormal

• orthonormal
• supernormal
• abnormal
• conformal
• informal
• lognormal
• nonformal
• subnormal
• formal
• formyl

Medical Definition

paranormal

adjective

para·​nor·​mal ˌpar-ə-ˈnȯr-məl 

: not understandable in terms of known scientific laws and phenomena

experiments in paranormal cognition of drawings

—Psychological Abstracts

paranormally

-ē 

adverb