unnatural

unnatural — adjective

1. very different from what people normally think of as usual or acceptable, often

1.形容詞B2
釋義

very different from what people normally think of as usual or acceptable, often in a way that seems wrong or disturbing

例句

Diego felt uneasy at the unnatural orange glow in the sky before the storm.

unnatural + abnormal natural phenomenon

The sudden silence in the busy classroom felt unnatural to the new teacher.

同義詞
  • abnormal

    more clinical or statistical; used in medical and scientific contexts

  • unusual

    milder in tone; simply means not common, without the negative judgment

  • freakish

    stronger and more dramatic; suggests something strikingly and disturbingly abnormal

反義詞
  • normal

    conforming to the usual or expected pattern

  • natural

    in accordance with nature or normal expectations

文法句型

unnatural + noun

feel/look/seem unnatural

it is unnatural (for someone) to-infinitive

用法筆記

Commonly describes events, physical appearances, or situations that deviate noticeably from what is expected. Less commonly used for deliberate human behavior — see sense 2 for that use.

常見錯誤

❌The ghost story described supernatural events that felt wrong.
✅The ghost story described unnatural events that felt wrong.
💡'Supernatural' means beyond nature (magic, paranormal); 'unnatural' means deviating from what is normal or expected.
❌It felt abnormal for her to arrive early.
✅It felt unnatural for her to arrive early.
💡'Abnormal' has a clinical or statistical tone; 'unnatural' emphasizes deviation from expected patterns in everyday situations.

2. behaving, speaking, or performing in a way that seems forced or put on rather th

2.形容詞B2
釋義

behaving, speaking, or performing in a way that seems forced or put on rather than genuine and relaxed

例句

Priya could tell the manager's praise was unnatural because his eyes showed no real warmth.

unnatural + forced emotion or praise

Theo's loud laugh sounded so unnatural that everyone in the room turned to look.

sound unnatural + laugh

同義詞
  • affected

    suggests deliberate pretension; often used to describe speech or manners

  • forced

    emphasizes effort rather than genuine feeling; common with 'smile' or 'laugh'

  • contrived

    suggests something was planned or staged rather than spontaneous

反義詞

文法句型

unnatural + noun (smile/laugh/tone)

sound/look/seem unnatural

find something unnatural

用法筆記

Restricted to describing human behavior — speech, facial expressions, laughter, gestures, or performance. Not used for objects, events, or natural phenomena (see sense 1 for those uses).

常見錯誤

❌Her unusual laugh drew everyone's attention.' (when meaning fake/forced).
✅Her unnatural laugh drew everyone's attention.
💡'Unusual' just means not common; 'unnatural' means forced or fake.