numinous
adjective
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Numinous and Supernatural
Numinous is from the Latin word numen, meaning "nod of the head" or "divine will" (the latter sense suggesting a figurative nod, of assent or of command, of the divine head). English speakers have been using numen for centuries with the meaning "a spiritual force or influence." The meanings of the adjective include "supernatural" or "mysterious" (as in "possessed of a numinous energy force"), "holy" ("the numinous atmosphere of the catacombs"), and "appealing to the aesthetic sense" ("the numinous nuances of her art"). There are also the nouns numinousness and numinosity, although these are rare.
Examples of numinous in a Sentence
Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
Among the drawings encountered just after Chocolate Room is Unidentified Hit Record, where a black vinyl LP hovers like a six-track mandala amid a numinous light show.
—Susan Tallman, The New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2023
Buddy Holly’s puppy love malt shop rock n’ roll repurposed for this numinous oath.
—Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023
The filmmaker’s signal accomplishment is to reveal Gia’s experiences, at civic and intimate levels, with friends and with strangers, as the numinous stuff of her inner life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 July 2023
Whereas some fantasists use magic as a deus ex machina which transforms their narrative into farce in short order, at his point a little numinous wonder would do the characters of the A Song of Ice and Fire a world of good.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 June 2011
As Greenberg was pondering this numinous feeling, someone tapped him on the shoulder and interrupted his reverie.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2022
The seventh-century Dome of the Rock now encloses the likeliest site of this transcendent physical link between the earthly and the numinous, which is also the spot where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven.
—Armin Rosen, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022
In the living room, Solomun recalled numinous moments from recent performances.
—Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'numinous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Numinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numinous. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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