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unnatural

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Etymology and origin of the English word unnatural

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1400 before 1400, translation of Lanfranc's Science of Cirurgie
Ultimate origins
English un-Old French naturel
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English natural
English unnatural

Pronunciation

  • /ʌnˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + natural,[2][3][4][5][6] first as Middle English unnaturel, unnatural.[7] The OED notes that the first sense originally followed Medieval Latin innaturalis, and compares for the sense "inhuman" the use of Middle French desnaturé, now dénaturé, the past participle of desnaturer (denature).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not in accordance with the normal physical nature of the body; abnormal: before 1400, in the English translation of Lanfranc's surgery, of humours and of heat that is not natural to the body.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

From the medical sense the word spread to people and acts lacking normal human feeling, especially towards their own family (Caxton, about 1473),[2][7] and to what goes against the usual course of nature (before 1513).[2] Etymonline dates the sense "contrary to moral standards" to the 1520s and "strange, unexpected" to the 1580s.[3] A sexual sense, "against what is considered natural", is recorded from 1653.[2] The sense "artificial, made by people" appeared in 1610, and "affected, forced", of manner or style, in 1735.[2] Johnson (1755) defined it as contrary to the laws of nature and to the common instincts, quoting King Lear.[8] The older senses "illegitimate" (1554) and, in Scotland, "misshapen" are now historical or obsolete.[2]

Timeline

  • before 1400 – abnormal, not natural to the body.[2][7]
  • c. 1473 – lacking natural human feelings; inhuman, cruel.[2]
  • before 1513 – contrary to the usual course of nature.[2]
  • 1554 – illegitimate; not by natural right.[2]
  • 1580s – strange, unexpected.[3][2]
  • 1610 – artificial, made by people.[2]
  • 1627 – noun, an unnatural person or thing.[2]
  • 1653 – of sexual acts, considered against nature.[2]
  • 1735 – affected, forced.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Different from what is normal or expected in nature; abnormal: an unnatural silence in the forest.[9][4][2]
  2. Not spontaneous; affected or forced: his unnatural laugh.[9][2]
  3. Against accepted moral standards; monstrous or wicked: an unnatural crime.[9][2]
  4. Lacking the feelings that people normally have, especially for their own family.[2][4]
  5. Made by people rather than nature; artificial.[2][3]
  6. Uncanny or supernatural.[9]

Word family

  • unnaturally
  • unnaturalness
  • unnaturalize

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  8. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  9. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Unnatural.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/unnatural. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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