unnatural

English

Etymology

From Middle English unnatural, unnaturel, equivalent to un- +‎ natural.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈnæt͡ʃ(ə)ɹəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: un‧nat‧u‧ral

Adjective

unnatural (comparative more unnatural, superlative most unnatural)

1. Not natural.
2. Not occurring in nature, the environment or atmosphere
3. Going against nature; perverse.
   • 1859, Ferna Vale, Natalie; or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds:

     Time wore heavily on with Winnie Santon, after Natalie had left them. Left as she was, much in her unnatural mother's society, who seemed to be never more pleased than when she might thwart her designs, or, in some manner act so as to make those about her uncomfortable, it was not to be wondered at, if she did sigh for other days, and a confidant, to whom she might unburden her heart.

   • 1976 February 14, Janet Cooper, quoting unknown, “DλKE C⚢PER”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 33, page 16:

     One mother, when she heard that her daughter intended to take up medicine, retired to her room and wept, bewailing the fact that she had given birth to an "unnatural daughter."

Synonyms

• contranatural

Antonyms

• natural

Derived terms

• unnatural selection
• unnaturally
• unnaturalness

Translations

not natural

• Czech: nepřirozený (cs)
• Danish: unaturlig, unaturlig, unaturlig
• Dutch: onnatuurlijk (nl), tegennatuurlijk (nl)
• Esperanto: nenatura, kontraŭnatura
• Finnish: luonnoton (fi)
• French: peu naturel, contre nature (fr)
• Galician: antinatural (gl), contranatural
• Georgian: ხელოვნური (xelovnuri), არაბუნებრივი (arabunebrivi)
• German: unnatürlich (de), widernatürlich (de)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐍃 (aljakuns)
• Greek: αφύσικος (el) (afýsikos)
• Hungarian: természetellenes (hu)
• Ido: nenaturala (io)
• Macedonian: неприроден (nepriroden)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: unaturlig (no)

  Nynorsk: unaturleg

• Polish: nienaturalny (pl)
• Portuguese: antinatural, contranatural, contranatura
• Romanian: artificial (ro), nenatural (ro) m or n
• Russian: неесте́ственный (ru) (nejestéstvennyj), противоесте́ственный (ru) (protivojestéstvennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: mì-nàdarrach
• Serbo-Croatian: neprírodan (sh)
• Spanish: antinatural (es), contranatural, contra natura
• Swedish: onaturlig (sv)
• Tagalog: dilikas
• Yiddish: איבער דער טבֿע (iber der teyve), אומנאַטירלעך (umnatirlekh)

going against nature; perverse

• Esperanto: kontraŭnatura (eo)

Noun

unnatural (plural unnaturals)

1. (derogatory) One who is unnatural, against nature, perverse.
   • 1985 February 2, Tim Broadbent, “Kindred Spirits (review)”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 28, page 10:

     In the so-called "golden era" of science fiction, gay/lesbian characters were treated as misfits, sociopaths, villains and "unnaturals" to be pitied and scorned. Gay characters were virtually all weak, effeminate snivelers out to harm the heroes of the story. Lesbians were invariably portrayed as massive, muscular Amazons with sadistic tendencies.

   • 1992 October 21, Paul Harvey, “About this Measure No. 9”, in alt.slack‎^[1] (Usenet):

     Deviants, heretics, pinks, false prophets and other unnaturals will not be spared the rod nor the stark fist of removal.

Anagrams

• lunarnaut