supernaturalize
|su-per-nat-u-ral-ize|
🇺🇸
/ˌsuːpərˈnætʃərəlaɪz/
🇬🇧
/ˌsuːpəˈnætʃ(ə)rəlaɪz/
make beyond nature
Etymology
'supernaturalize' originates from English, formed by combining the adjective 'supernatural' + the verb-forming suffix '-ize', where 'super-' meant 'above' and 'nature' (from Latin 'natura') meant 'birth, natural quality'.
'supernatural' comes into English via Old French and Latin: Latin 'supernaturalis' ('super-' + 'naturalis'), then Old French 'supernaturel', later Middle English 'supernatural'; the productive English suffix '-ize' (from Greek '-izein' via Latin/French) was added to create 'supernaturalize' in modern English usage.
Initially 'supernatural' meant 'above or beyond nature'; over time it came to mean 'beyond natural explanation' and the derived verb 'supernaturalize' now means 'to make supernatural' or 'to attribute supernatural qualities'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to make something supernatural or to attribute supernatural qualities to someone or something.
Authors sometimes supernaturalize ordinary events to heighten the story's mystery.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Verb 2
figuratively, to present or interpret something in a supernatural or mythic way (to romanticize or mythologize by adding supernatural explanation).
Historians warn against supernaturalizing past events instead of seeking evidence-based explanations.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/23 04:13