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
Explore M-W
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
-
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.
-
And few, if any, rivers reveal this unnatural world more than the Colorado, which no longer reaches the sea or carries along its entire 1,450-mile length much of the reddish silt that inspired its name.
-
These stresses are exacerbated by the fact that the animals must perform unnatural physical acts: bears trained to prance on tightropes; elephants made to balance on chairs; tigers forced to jump through flaming hoops.
-
Anyone who worries that a particular desire is unnatural, deviant or freakish can go online and connect with people all around the world who share those desires, soothing or eliminating the fear of being alone and outcast.
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.
14th Century
First Known Use of unnatural
14th century
Synonym Discussion of unnatural
UNNATURAL Defined for English Language Learners
unnatural
playDefinition 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
UNNATURAL Defined for Kids
unnatural
playDefinition of unnatural for Students
1 : different from what is found in nature or happens naturally
2 : different from what is usually considered normal behavior
3 : not genuine an unnatural smile
unnaturally
adverbLearn More about unnatural
-
See words that rhyme with unnatural Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unnatural Spanish Central: Translation of unnatural Nglish: Translation of unnatural for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of unnatural for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up unnatural? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!