Meaning & use
supernatural
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Seeming to come from outside the natural world and the laws of science, as ghosts and magic do.
Grammar: Usually used before a noun: supernatural powers. It is not normally graded.
Patterns
- supernatural powers
- supernatural beings
- something is supernatural
The film is about a town haunted by supernatural forces.
Ancient people thought lightning was a supernatural event.
She claimed to have supernatural powers, but nobody believed her.
nounsingular
Things such as ghosts, spirits and magic, taken as a group, that do not follow the laws of nature.
Grammar: Used with the: the supernatural. It takes a singular verb.
Patterns
- believe in the supernatural
- the world of the supernatural
He has always been fascinated by the supernatural.
Many cultures have stories about the supernatural.
She writes novels that blend crime with the supernatural.
adjectivebefore a nounfigurative
Much greater than normal, as if beyond what a person could do.
Grammar: A looser, figurative use: supernatural strength.
Patterns
- supernatural strength
- supernatural calm
He moved with supernatural speed across the field.
The goalkeeper showed supernatural calm during the penalty shootout.
Her supernatural patience amazed her coworkers.
Common combinations
- supernatural powers
- The hero in the story has supernatural powers.
- supernatural being
- The legend describes a supernatural being living in the lake.
- supernatural thriller
- We watched a supernatural thriller last night.
- supernatural forces
- Villagers blamed supernatural forces for the strange noises.
- believe in the supernatural
- My grandmother does not believe in the supernatural.
Synonyms and how they differ
- paranormal
- Paranormal is used for claimed events like ghosts that science cannot explain, and it often sounds more modern or investigative.
- otherworldly
- Otherworldly describes something that feels as if it belongs to another world, which is more about atmosphere than belief.
- miraculous
- Miraculous suggests a wonderful event, often religious, while supernatural can be frightening or neutral.
- occult
- Occult refers to hidden or magical practices and secret knowledge, rather than to events.
Opposites
Word family
- supernaturally adverb
- in a way that is beyond nature
- nature noun
- the physical world and its laws
- natural adjective
- existing in nature, not caused by magic or people
- preternatural adjective
- beyond what is normal, a more literary word
Commonly confused: supernatural or supernormal? supernatural or paranormal?
supernatural vs supernormal
Supernormal means higher than the normal level, while supernatural means beyond the laws of nature.
supernatural vs paranormal
Paranormal is close in meaning but is generally used for events people investigate, such as hauntings.
Practice
The villagers believed the strange lights were caused by ____ spirits living in the forest.
Choose one answer.
Supernatural describes spirits that lie beyond nature and science. Natural, ordinary and scientific all suggest explanations that fit within the everyday world.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “supernatural”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.