Supernatural Meaning
/ˌs(j)uː.pəˈnæ.tʃə.ɹəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjAbove nature; beyond or added to nature, often so considered because it is given by a deity or some force beyond that with which humans are born.
adjNot of the usual; not natural; altered by forces that are not understood fully, if at all.
Sentence Examples
There exist supernatural beings.
He believes in the supernatural.
The supernatural is the natural not yet understood.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ghost was a ____ being that could not be explained by science.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Many people are fascinated by stories of ____ events that cannot be explained by any known laws of science.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"We know from their literature that to our Saxon ancestors waste places of moor and forest and marshes were the resort of a host of supernatural creatures at enmity with mankind."
— 1922, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, The Old English Herbals, London: Longmans, Green and Co., page 14:
"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."
— 2018 March 14, Roger Penrose, “'Mind over matter': Stephen Hawking – obituary by Roger Penrose”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Mar 2025:
"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.""
— 2012, Blake Morrison, The Guardian:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ghost was a ____ being that could not be explained by science.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Many people are fascinated by stories of ____ events that cannot be explained by any known laws of science.