preternatural

adjective

ˌprē-tər-ˈna-chə-rəl How to pronounce preternatural (audio)
Definition of preternaturalnext
1
as in extraordinary
being out of the ordinary an editor with a preternatural sense of what will interest the book-buying public

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in supernatural
of, relating to, or being part of a reality beyond the observable physical universe an investigator of preternatural phenomena

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in superhuman
being so extraordinary or abnormal as to suggest powers which violate the laws of nature a preternatural ability to predict how the stock market will perform

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of preternatural Excelling in amateur baseball’s highest levels the past six years seems to have created preternatural ease. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 1 July 2026 Marina, for her part, reacts to every new face and each fresh piece of information with an instinctive guardedness—and Garcia illuminates, with an almost sphinx-like half smile, the preternatural reserve of someone who’s grown up knowing not to expect too much from people. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 June 2026 Or suddenly have a preternatural understanding of the ins and outs of soccer. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2026 None of them have the same preternatural sense of how fast an image can travel that comes with being a digital native. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for preternatural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preternatural
  1. extraordinary
  2. supernatural
  3. superhuman
  4. unusual
  5. paranormal
  6. uncanny
  7. exceptional
  8. transcendental
Adjective
  • Building new housing on two islands in San Francisco, one of the hottest housing markets, involved an extraordinary saga.
    — Julie Z. Weil, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2026
  • As his abilities give him access to increasingly sophisticated criminal schemes and extraordinary wealth, he is drawn into a world of luxury, excess and organized cybercrime.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of extraordinary
Adjective
  • In fact, the team had a full biscuit guide to ensure the lions always looked just right—never supernatural or oversaturated.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The film blends contemporary Mandopop, ancient mythology, comedy and supernatural adventure.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of supernatural
Adjective
  • Since then, Claude has gone through more than 20 new versions and developed superhuman hacking capabilities.
    — Emelia S. Probasco, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2026
  • So a team at Anthropic thought Claude, free of mortality and blessed with superhuman invulnerability to boredom, should have a go.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of superhuman
Adjective
  • At the recommendation of assistant director of player personnel Jason Stein, the Mets signed Yan to a two-year minor-league deal, an unusual contract for a healthy pitcher.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Her parents approach sexuality head on, almost with glee, which is certainly unusual for their time and place.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of unusual
Adjective
  • Like any group with more than 50 members, there have been a few paranormal personality clashes.
    — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • With the new immersive sound system, orchestra impact becomes a matter of technology, giving individual instruments paranormal prominence and turning full orchestra glory into a sensual sound bath.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of paranormal
Adjective
  • Yesterday’s punk, grunge, and rebel-outsider upstarts have an uncanny way of evolving into today’s elder statesmen of respectable infamy.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • In Season 2, Armison played Max Sugar, a legendary gambling savant with an uncanny ability to read people like cards in the half-hour series.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncanny
Adjective
  • Its exceptional duration results from near-perfect celestial geometry.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Similar to Abrams, the young shortstop had shown a knack for exceptional, highlight-reel plays while struggling with consistency.
    — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of exceptional
Adjective
  • As many an influencer has learned, that identity bestows the transcendental rewards of unconditional love—and plenty of new branding opportunities.
    — Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
  • Stablecoins have become one of crypto’s most transcendental inventions.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Definition of transcendental

Browse Nearby Words

pretermitting
preternatural
pretest
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Cite this Entry

“Preternatural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preternatural. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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