supernaturalnessn.
/ˌsuːpəˈnatʃ(ə)rəlnəs/, /ˌsjuːpəˈnatʃ(ə)rəlnəs/, /ˌsuːpəˈnatʃ(ə)rl̩nəs/, /ˌsjuːpəˈnatʃ(ə)rl̩nəs/, U.S. /ˈˌsupərˈnætʃ(ə)rəlnəs/ The quality or fact of being supernatural; supernatural character.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > [noun] > quality of being
supernaturality1581
supernaturalness1657
supernaturalism1764
preternaturalism1834
1657 F. Roberts Mysterium & Medulla Bibliorum iii. iv. 851 The Supernaturalness, The Sufficiency, The Supereminency, And the Perpetual stability of our Covenant-Condition.
1667 J. Sergeant Faith Vindicated 126 The Intellectualness and Supernaturalness of that Virtue call'd Faith.
1721 Reasonableness Orthodox & Arian Believing 38 Thinking it more decent, that the Mind should rise to them, than they be made to stoop below the native Majesty of their Supernaturalness.
1757 J. H. Grose Voy. E.-Indies ii. 318 An act which..the Romish priests in those parts, not denying the supernaturalness of the effect produced, attribute to the power and craft of the Devil.
1817 S. T. Coleridge Biographia Literaria II. xxiii. 279 Notwithstanding the supernaturalness of the storm aforesaid, not only Bertram, but the whole of his gang, had been saved.
1873 H. Spencer Study Sociol. (1874) vii. 170 Declining monarchical power brings with it decreasing belief in the supernaturalness of the monarch.
1907 A. E. Garvie Stud. Inner Life Jesus xiv. 276 It is doubtful whether the instances of Jesus' knowledge of the character and aspirations of others..prove its supernaturalness.
1971 G. Urang Shadows of Heaven ii. 74 The element of fantasy points to the supernaturalness..in the sacramental reality.
1998 Palm Beach (Florida) Post (Nexis) 11 Dec. (TGIF section) 6 The resulting film attempts to combine the supernaturalness of Ghost with the goofiness of Frosty the Snowman.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1657