preternatural
adjective
G. L. Dickinson
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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.
Examples of preternatural in a Sentence
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 19 Apr. 2025
Anastasio spoke about the experience with an almost preternatural gratitude.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Kaufman had a preternatural ability to remain unperturbed by time passing, even when his audience became disgruntled, hostile or upset.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
With their preternatural ability to optimize supply chains and cut costs, Chinese firms are also accelerating the mass production of humanoids.
—John Liu, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preternatural
Cite this Entry
“Preternatural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preternatural. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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preternatural
adjective
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