supernatural

adjective su·per·nat·u·ral \ ˌsü-pər-ˈna-chə-rəl , -ˈnach-rəl \

Definition of supernatural

1 :of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially :of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil

2 a :departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature

b :attributed to an invisible agent (such as a ghost or spirit)

—

supernatural

noun

—

supernaturally

play \-ˈna-chər-ə-lē, -ˈnach-rə-, -ˈna-chər-lē\ adverb

—

supernaturalness

noun

See supernatural defined for English-language learners

See supernatural defined for kids

Examples of supernatural in a Sentence

believes in ghosts, guardian angels, and other supernatural beings
he seems to read books with supernatural speed

Recent Examples of supernatural from the Web

The scholar Stefan Ekman suggests one reason why that may be: a lot of the borders and boundaries around fantasy realms are dictated by natural or supernatural features and have to do with states of being rather than simple movement in space.

— adrian daub, Longreads, "Here at the End of All Things," 24 Aug. 2017
The actress, 28, who plays a medical student who embarks on a group near-death experience in this month’s supernatural thriller Flatliners, is feeling under the weather.

— Harper's BAZAAR, "Nina's Night Out," 17 Aug. 2017
When Twilight author Stephenie Meyer first announced a new supernatural TV series in the works called The Rook, some wondered if this might be related, somehow, to her enormously popular vampire and werewolf romances.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "New Details on The Rook TV Series from Twilight’s Stephenie Meyer," 28 July 2017
The supernatural aspect, combined with the scope and demands of the role, have led some actors to struggle with portraying Hamlet in past productions.

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "At the Old Globe, digging into the mysteries of 'Hamlet'," 28 July 2017
Rosemary's Baby (July 1) Mia Farrow is an expectant mother who finds that her baby is of special interest to the various people living in her New York City apartment building in Roman Polanski's 1968 supernatural thriller.

— nick schager, Esquire, "Here Are the Must-Stream Movies of July 2017," 30 June 2017
The Void (July 6) Taking inspiration from various '80s B-movies, Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie's horror film depicts the supernatural ordeal suffered by a group of people who wind up trapped in a hospital by hooded cult members.

— nick schager, Esquire, "Here Are the Must-Stream Movies of July 2017," 30 June 2017
Though the direwolves have been somewhat sidelined or killed off prematurely in the HBO adaptation, their supernatural link with the Stark kids is massively important in the novels.

— joanna robinson, VanityFair.com, "New Game of Thrones Season 7 Report Seems to Confirm Two Massive Bombshells," 29 June 2017
So we're left with the arresting question of whether Macbeth is the plaything of malevolent supernatural forces, or if his own inability to reflect until too late upon the moral dimensions of his bloody deeds drives the action.

— kerry reid, chicagotribune.com, "First Folio delivers a 'Macbeth' to the fates and the night sky," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'supernatural.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.