unnatural

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adjective un·nat·u·ral \ˌən-ˈna-chə-rəl, -ˈnach-rəl\

Definition of unnatural

1 : not being in accordance with nature or consistent with a normal course of events
2a : not being in accordance with normal human feelings or behavior : perverseb : lacking ease and naturalness : contrived her manner was forced and unnaturalc : inconsistent with what is reasonable or expected an unnatural alliance

unnaturally

play \ˌən-ˈna-chə-rə-lē, -ˈnach-rə-, -ˈna-chər-\ adverb

unnaturalness

play \ˌən-ˈna-chə-rəl-nəs, -ˈnach-rəl-\ noun

See unnatural defined for English-language learners

See unnatural defined for kids

Examples of unnatural in a Sentence

It seems unnatural to keep the bird in a cage.
She has an unnatural obsession with money.
Her smile looked forced and unnatural.

Recent Examples of unnatural from the Web

In other words, taking off too much hair, creating a new unnatural hairline.

— megan gustashaw, GQ, "How to Clean Up Your Neckline at Home (Without Screwing It Up)", 1 July 2017
Throwing a baseball (hard) is not an unnatural act,’’ says Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Are injuries just part of being a pitcher now?", 30 June 2017
This all seems solidly unnatural—hence the lawsuit, which demands Sanderson be held accountable for misleading consumers.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "Wanna Get High? Try Eating Chicken.", 27 June 2017
This isn't the first time a French river has taken on an unnatural color.

— meredith carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "This French River Just Turned Blood Red", 27 June 2017
Here are a few of them: Duke University: Prince of Los Cocuyos by Richard Blanco Stanford University: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert and Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward Smith College:

— kyler sumter, USA TODAY College, "Here's what UC Berkeley freshmen are reading this summer", 16 June 2017
Starring Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Christopher Abbott and Carmen Ejogo, the film follows a man who is protecting his family from an unnatural threat, but the life he's built for them is disturbed with the arrival of another desperate family.

— pamela mcclintock, The Hollywood Reporter, "Weekend Box Office: 'Wonder Woman' Crushing 'The Mummy'", 9 June 2017
Who knew that bread — made with totally normal ingredients, by the way: organic unbleached wheat flour, water, sea salt, organic barley malt and yeast — could perform such an unnatural feat?

— bethany jean clement, The Seattle Times, "Test-driving Amazon’s brand-new, very weird grocery pickup service", 6 June 2017
And yet even as laws expand, opponents of surrogacy, including some feminists, human rights advocates and religious conservatives, say the practice is an unnatural kind of social engineering that exploits women.

— michael alison chandler, Washington Post, "With new surrogacy law, D.C. joins jurisdictions that are making it easier for gay and infertile couples to start families", 3 June 2017

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

First Known Use of unnatural

14th century

Synonym Discussion of unnatural

irregular, anomalous, unnatural mean not conforming to rule, law, or custom. irregular implies not conforming to a law or regulation imposed for the sake of uniformity in method, practice, or conduct. concerned about his irregular behavior anomalous implies not conforming to what might be expected because of the class or type to which it belongs or the laws that govern its existence. her drive made her an anomalous figure in a sleepy organization unnatural suggests what is contrary to nature or to principles or standards felt to be essential to the well-being of civilized society. prisoners treated with unnatural cruelty

UNNATURAL Defined for English Language Learners

unnatural

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adjective

Definition of unnatural for English Language Learners

: different from how things usually are in the physical world or in nature
: different from what is normal in a way that is seen as wrong, disturbing, etc.
: not real