Meaning & use
preternaturally
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Meaning
adverbnot comparable
To a degree so extreme that it seems strange or beyond what nature would normally produce.
Grammar: Modifies an adjective: preternaturally calm, not 'preternaturally run'.
Patterns
- preternaturally calm
- preternaturally gifted
The child was preternaturally quiet during the whole ceremony.
Her hands stayed preternaturally steady as she threaded the needle.
The old forest felt preternaturally still after the storm.
Common combinations
- preternaturally calm
- He stayed preternaturally calm while the alarms rang.
- preternaturally alert
- The cat was preternaturally alert at dusk.
- preternaturally wise
- She seemed preternaturally wise for a ten-year-old.
- preternaturally still
- The lake lay preternaturally still.
- preternaturally gifted
- A preternaturally gifted pianist, he played in public at six.
Synonyms and how they differ
- uncannily
- Uncannily stresses an eerie, unsettling feeling, while preternaturally stresses going beyond what seems natural.
- unnaturally
- Unnaturally often suggests something wrong or forced, whereas preternaturally can be admiring.
- extraordinarily
- Extraordinarily simply means very greatly and carries no hint of the strange.
- supernaturally
- Supernaturally claims a truly magical cause, while preternaturally only says it seems beyond nature.
Opposites
Word family
- preternatural adjective
- strange and beyond the normal course of nature
- natural adjective
- existing in or caused by nature
- supernatural adjective
- beyond the laws of nature, magical
Commonly confused: preternaturally or supernaturally?
preternaturally vs supernaturally
Supernaturally implies magic or spirits; preternaturally only means oddly extreme, with no magic required.
Practice
The toddler was ______ patient, sitting through the long flight without a single complaint.
Choose one answer.
Preternaturally means to a surprising, almost unnatural degree. Predominantly means mostly, which does not fit the idea of astonishing patience.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preternaturally”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.