anti-naturalistic
|an-ti-nat-u-ral-is-tic|
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/ˌæn.tiˌnætʃəˈrælɪstɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tiˌnætʃərəˈlɪstɪk/
against naturalism
Etymology
'anti-naturalistic' originates from Modern English as a compound of the prefix 'anti-' and the adjective 'naturalistic'; 'anti-' comes from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against', and 'naturalistic' derives from 'natural' plus the suffix '-istic'.
'naturalistic' developed from Middle English 'natural' (from Old French 'naturel' and Latin 'natura'), with the adjectival suffix '-istic' added in Modern English; the prefix 'anti-' was attached in Modern English to form a compound meaning 'against naturalistic'.
Initially the elements meant 'against' (for 'anti-') and 'pertaining to nature' (for 'natural'); together in Modern English they came to mean specifically 'against the doctrines or style of naturalism' in either philosophy or the arts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
opposed to naturalism in philosophy or science: rejecting explanations that reduce phenomena to natural causes or to strictly physical processes (often favoring supernatural, non-reductive, or non-natural explanations).
Her anti-naturalistic position on mind and consciousness led her to argue for non-reductive accounts of mental phenomena.
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Adjective 2
opposed to or not following the principles of naturalism in art and literature: not aiming for realistic, unembellished depiction of life; often stylized, symbolic, or artificial in presentation.
The director's anti-naturalistic staging used exaggerated movement and artificial lighting to emphasize theme over realism.
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Last updated: 2025/11/08 15:40