preternatural

== English == === Alternative forms === praeternatural præternatural (archaic) === Etymology === From preter- +‎ natural, after Latin prēternātūrālis/praeternātūrālis, from praeter nātūram, from praeter (“beyond”) + nātūra (“nature”); compare supernatural. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˌpɹiː.təˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˌpɹi.tɚˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə)ɹ.əl/, /ˌprɛdərˈnætʃ(ə)rəl/ Hyphenation: preter‧nat‧u‧ral === Adjective === preternatural (comparative more preternatural, superlative most preternatural) Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or according to the regular course of things; strange. Synonyms: inexplicable, exceptional, extraordinary, abnormal, uncanny (dated) Having an existence outside of the natural world. Synonyms: paranormal, supernatural, unnatural ==== Usage notes ==== In modern secular use, refers to extraordinary but still natural phenomena, as in “preternatural talent”. In religious and occult usage, used similarly to supernatural, meaning “outside of nature”, but usually to a lower level than supernatural – it can be used synonymously (identical to supernatural), as a hyponym (a kind of supernatural), or a coordinate term (similar to supernatural, but a distinct category). For example, in Catholic theology, preternatural refers to properties of creatures like angels, while supernatural refers to properties of God alone. ==== Synonyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === References === “preternatural”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. === Further reading === preternatural on Wikipedia.Wikipedia == Catalan == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin praeternātūrālis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [pɾə.tər.nə.tuˈɾal] IPA(key): (Valencia) [pɾe.teɾ.na.tuˈɾal] IPA(key): (Northwestern) [pɾe.ter.na.tuˈɾal] === Adjective === preternatural m or f (masculine and feminine plural preternaturals) preternatural ==== Related terms ==== sobrenatural === Further reading === “preternatural”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 == Portuguese == === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: pre‧ter‧na‧tu‧ral === Adjective === preternatural m or f (plural preternaturais) preternatural === Further reading === “preternatural”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “preternatural”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /pɾeteɾnatuˈɾal/ [pɾe.t̪eɾ.na.t̪uˈɾal] Rhymes: -al Syllabification: pre‧ter‧na‧tu‧ral === Adjective === preternatural m or f (masculine and feminine plural preternaturales) preternatural ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “preternatural”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025