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unnaturally

unnaturally

12 4.7
In a way that seems strange or not natural
  • adverb
  • /ʌnˈnætʃərəli/
translation icon : anormalmente
  • She smiled unnaturally, trying to hide her true feelings about the situation.

Wealthy Egyptians took advantage of the unnaturally strong currency and moved their money abroad too.

Examples

  • The suspect was standing... unnaturally close.

  • Already, it was muggy and unnaturally warm for such an early morning.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • There was no party that Saturday, and the house was unnaturally still.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Then, I was in this unnaturally tiny house.

  • While I thought of something to say, I noticed how unnaturally quiet everyone was.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I was thinking, "My God, this woman's skin is unnaturally smooth."

  • "Aidan," she began, then stopped as she realized that the forest had become unnaturally silent around them.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Wealthy Egyptians took advantage of the unnaturally strong currency and moved their money abroad too.

  • The flesh of his arm was unnaturally soft and pliant, like dough, and I shuddered.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The woman's clear suburban eyes were sparkling; her cheeks were unnaturally smooth.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

strangely
vsunnaturally
190 3.2

In an unusual or unexpected way

leans toward seeming made or oddly artificial rather than simply odd
oddly
vsunnaturally
150 3.4

In a strange or unexpected way

tends to feel more like an artificial or contrived oddness
unusually
vsunnaturally
106 3.3

More than normal or expected

leans toward seeming made or oddly artificial rather than just large degree
weirdly
vsunnaturally
35 3.5

In a strange or unexpected way

adds a hint of being artificially strange rather than just odd
curiously
vsunnaturally
31 4.1

In a strange or unexpected way

suggests an unnatural or purposely strange appearance rather than mere curiosity
abnormally
vsunnaturally
17 4.6

In a way that is not normal or usual

feels artificial or deliberately strange rather than merely uncommon
uncharacteristically
vsunnaturally
16 6.9

In a way that is not usual for someone or something

implies an unnatural or strangely out‑of‑character quality
freakishly
vsunnaturally
14 7.7

In a very unusual and surprising way

implies a feeling of being artificially grotesque rather than only extreme
bizarrely
vsunnaturally
12 4.4

In a strange or unexpected way

leans toward seeming contrived or oddly out of place
uncommonly
vsunnaturally
10 5.3

To a much higher level than usual

carries a stronger idea of being artificial or oddly produced
funnily
vsunnaturally
9 5.3

Shows that something is strange or surprising

suggests a more manufactured or oddly strange impression
grotesquely
vsunnaturally
7 7.7

In a very strange and ugly way that feels shocking

is more about odd artificiality than just grotesque distortion
uncannily
vsunnaturally
5 6.9

In a way that is strange, surprising, and hard to explain

leans toward seeming artificially eerie rather than simply surprising
peculiarly
vsunnaturally
3 6.2

In a strange way that people notice

carries a stronger sense of being artificially produced or odd
incongruously
vsunnaturally
3 7.9

In a way that seems out of place for the situation

seems artificially strange rather than simply misplaced or mismatched
preternaturally
vsunnaturally
3 9.9

In a way that is much more than normal

suggests an extraordinarily strange or almost supernatural quality
anomalously
vsunnaturally
1 8.2

In a way that is not normal or expected

suggests an artificial or oddly produced appearance rather than simple deviation
unconventionally
vsunnaturally
1 7.2

In a way that is different from what most people do

is more about seeming unnatural or contrived than simply nonconformist
outlandishly
vsunnaturally
1 8.2

Seems very strange and different from what people expect

adds a sense of being made or shockingly artificial
atypically
vsunnaturally
1 6.1

In a way that is not usual

carries an added sense of being artificial or against nature
queerly
vsunnaturally
1 8.3

In a strange way that feels odd

tends to seem more artificially strange than merely odd
aberrantly
vsunnaturally
1 8.1

In an unusual way that is not normal

adds a sense of being oddly artificial or not natural
eccentrically
vsunnaturally
1 7.3

In a way that is different from what most people expect

is judged more as artificial or not natural than merely eccentric
quirkily
vsunnaturally
1 6.8

In an odd, playful way that shows personal style

leans toward seeming artificially contrived rather than charmingly odd
surreally
vsunnaturally
1 7.0

In a strange way that feels like a dream

is similar but focuses more on seeming artificially strange than surreal mood
surrealistically
vsunnaturally
1 7.8

Makes something seem strange and dreamlike

is more about seeming artificially odd than artistic unreality
antitypically
vsunnaturally
9.9

In an unusual way not like what usually happens

implies an unnatural, made or strange quality beyond mere rarity
incongruently
vsunnaturally
7.5

In a way that does not fit or match something else

gives the sense of being strangely artificial rather than mere mismatch
untypically
vsunnaturally
6.6

In a way that is not usual

emphasizes seeming artificial or oddly out of nature
uncustomarily
vsunnaturally
7.5

In a way that is not usual

is judged more as artificially strange than merely breaking custom
unaccustomedly
vsunnaturally
7.9

In a way that is not usual for someone

suggests a sense of being oddly artificial rather than simply unfamiliar
freakily
vsunnaturally
6.3

In a very strange way that feels surprising

suggests a more manufactured or extremely odd quality

Antonyms

114 1.0

In a normal, easy way without effort

How Natural

naturally
144 1.8
oddly
150 3.4
unnaturally
12 4.7
theatrically
5 6.2
artificially
58 4.4

Surface Forms

unnaturally positive
unnaturallier comparative
unnaturalliest superlative

Morphology

unnaturally = unnatural (transparent) = un + natural + ly

Formed by adding the productive adverbial suffix '-ly' to 'unnatural', preserving the expected meaning.

Etymology

Unnaturally comes from the part un- meaning 'not' and the word natural, from nature meaning 'what is normal'. So unnaturally means 'not natural', used when something looks or feels strange or made by people rather than by nature.