supernatural

English

Etymology

From Middle English supernatural, supernaturel, from Middle French supernaturel, from Latin supernātūrālis, from super (“above”) + nātūra (“nature; that which we are born with”), from nātus (“born”), perfect passive participle of nāscī (“to be born”) + adjective suffix -ālis. By surface analysis, super- +‎ natural.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌs(j)uːpəˈnæt͡ʃəɹəl/, /ˌs(j)uːpəˈnæt͡ʃɹəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌsupəɹˈnæt͡ʃəɹəl/, /ˌsupəɹˈnæt͡ʃɹəl/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˌs(j)ʉːpɘˈnɛt͡ʃɹɯ(l)/
• Hyphenation: su‧per‧na‧tur‧al

Adjective

supernatural (comparative more supernatural, superlative most supernatural)

1. Above nature; beyond or added to nature, often so considered because it is given by a deity or some force beyond that which humans are born with.

   In Roman Catholic theology, sanctifying grace is considered to be a supernatural addition to human nature.

   Stephen King's first novel is about a girl named Carrie dealing with supernatural powers.

   • March 14, 2018, Roger Penrose writing in The Guardian, 'Mind over matter': Stephen Hawking – obituary

     As with the Delphic oracle of ancient Greece, physical impairment seemed compensated by almost supernatural gifts, which allowed his mind to roam the universe freely, upon occasion enigmatically revealing some of its secrets hidden from ordinary mortal view.

2. Not of the usual; not natural; altered by forces that are not understood fully, if at all.

   The house is haunted by supernatural forces.

Synonyms

• extranatural, extranormal, extraordinary, metanatural, nonnatural, paranatural, paranormal, preternatural, supernormal, supranatural, unnatural

Antonyms

• ordinary
• natural

Derived terms

• nonsupernatural
• semisupernatural
• supernaturalism
• supernaturalist
• supernaturalistic
• supernaturality
• supernaturalize
• supernaturally
• supernaturalness
• supernatural selection
• unsupernatural

 

Translations

above nature

• Albanian: mbinatyrshëm (sq)
• Arabic: خَارِق (ḵāriq), مِيتَافِيزِيقِيّ m (mītāfīzīqiyy), مَا فَوْقَ الطَّبِيعَة m (mā fawqa ṭ-ṭabīʕa)
• Armenian: գերբնական (hy) (gerbnakan)
• Belarusian: звышнатура́льны (zvyšnaturálʹny)
• Bulgarian: свръхестествен (bg) (svrǎhestestven)
• Catalan: sobrenatural (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 超自然 (zh) (chāozìrán)

• Czech: nadpřirozený (cs)
• Danish: overnaturlig
• Dutch: bovennatuurlijk (nl)
• Esperanto: supernatura
• Estonian: üleloomulik (et)
• Finnish: yliluonnollinen (fi), jumalallinen (fi)
• French: surnaturel (fr), surnaturelle (fr)
• Galician: sobrenatural (gl)
• Georgian: ზებუნებრივი (zebunebrivi)
• German: übernatürlich (de)
• Greek: υπερφυσικός (el) (yperfysikós)
• Hungarian: természetfeletti (hu)
• Icelandic: yfirnáttúrulegur
• Ido: supernatura (io)
• Italian: soprannaturale (it), sovrannaturale
• Japanese: 超自然の (chōshizen no)
• Korean: 초자연적인 (chojayeonjeogin)
• Latin: divinus (la), extranaturalis
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overnaturlig (no)

  Nynorsk: overnaturleg

• Polish: nadnaturalny (pl), nadprzyrodzony (pl)
• Portuguese: sobrenatural (pt)
• Romanian: supranatural (ro)
• Russian: сверхъесте́ственный (ru) (sverxʺjestéstvennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: os-nàdarrach
• Slovak: nadprirodzený
• Spanish: sobrenatural (es)
• Swahili: -si- -a dunia hii (literally, "not of this world")
• Tagalog: higlikas
• Thai: เหนือธรรมชาติ (th) (nʉ̌ʉa-tam-má-châat)
• Turkish: olağanüstü (tr)
• Ukrainian: надприро́дний (nadpryródnyj)
• Welsh: goruwchnaturiol (cy)
• Yiddish: איבערנאַטירלעך (ibernatirlekh)

not of the usual

• Albanian: mbinatyrshëm (sq)
• Arabic: اِسْتِثْنَائِيّ m (istiṯnāʔiyy)
• Armenian: գերբնական (hy) (gerbnakan)
• Bulgarian: необикновен (bg) (neobiknoven)
• Danish: overnaturlig
• Estonian: üleloomulik (et)
• Finnish: yliluonnollinen (fi)
• French: surnaturel (fr)
• Greek: υπερφυσικός (el) m (yperfysikós)
• Icelandic: yfirnáttúrulegur, yfirskilvitlegur
• Italian: ultraterreno (it)
• Latin: divinus (la)
• Maori: mākutu, whaiwhaiā
• Portuguese: sobrenatural (pt)
• Russian: сверхъесте́ственный (ru) (sverxʺjestéstvennyj)
• Turkish: olağanüstü (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} bovennatuurlijk (nl)
• German: ^{(please verify)} übernatürlich (de)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} természetfeletti (hu) (1), ^{(please verify)} különös (hu), ^{(please verify)} rendkívüli (hu) (2)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} soprannaturale (it), sovrannaturale
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} supernaturalis
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} supranatural (ro)
• Scots: ^{(please verify)} supernaitural
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} natprírodan (sh), ^{(please verify)} nadnárāvan (sh)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} nadprirodan
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} nadnaraven (sl)
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} övernaturlig (sv)
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} goruwchnaturiol (cy)

Noun

supernatural (plural supernaturals)

1. (countable) A supernatural being
2. (uncountable) Supernatural beings and events collectively (when used with definite article: "the supernatural")
   • 2012, Blake Morrison, The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Dr Johnson defended Shakespeare's use of the supernatural from the charge of implausibility on the grounds that, "The reality of witchcraft … has in all ages and countries been credited by the common people, and in most by the learned."

Translations

being

• Finnish: yliluonnollinen olento

beings and events collectively

• Finnish: yliluonnollinen (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Russian: ^{(please verify)} сверхъестественное (ru) (sverxʺjestestvennoje)

Middle English

Alternative forms

• supernaturel

Etymology

From Middle French supernaturel, from Latin supernātūrālis; equivalent to super- +‎ natural.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌsiu̯pərnaːˈtiu̯ral/, /ˌsiu̯pərnaːˈtiu̯rɛl/, /ˌsiu̯pərnaˈtiu̯ral/, /ˌsiu̯pərnaˈtiu̯rɛl/

Adjective

supernatural

1. (Late Middle English, religion) Deity-related; from God.

Descendants

• English: supernatural
• Scots: supernatural

References

• “supernā̆tūrāl, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-14.

Romanian

Etymology

From super- +‎ natural.

Adjective

supernatural m or n (feminine singular supernaturală, masculine plural supernaturali, feminine and neuter plural supernaturale)

1. supernatural

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	supernatural		supernaturală		supernaturali	supernaturale
	definite	supernaturalul		supernaturala		supernaturalii	supernaturalele
genitive- dative	indefinite	supernatural		supernaturale		supernaturali	supernaturale
	definite	supernaturalului		supernaturalei		supernaturalilor	supernaturalelor

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin supernātūrālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /supeɾnatuˈɾal/ [su.peɾ.na.t̪uˈɾal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: su‧per‧na‧tu‧ral

Adjective

supernatural m or f (masculine and feminine plural supernaturales)

1. supernatural

   Synonym: sobrenatural