unnature means that which is contrary to nature; the unnatural. It carries an Arena rating of 1513, earned across 26 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, unnature ranks #1,166 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,523 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #2,410 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #5,681 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
Why “unnature” is a great word
UNNATURE — [Noun, Verb] That which is contrary to nature; to change the nature of something, investing it with a different or contrary nature. From the English prefix un- (expressing reversal or negation) + nature. The verb is first attested before 1586 in the writing of Sir Philip Sidney. Unlike “unnatural” (an adjective describing deviation) or “artifice” (which may admire human skill), “unnature” names the resulting state or the active violation itself. It is the cold gleam of plastic fruit in a ceramic bowl, the chemical green of a glow-in-the-dark toy, and the chilling quiet of a forest where every insect has been poisoned—a word for the profound disquiet of encountering a world remade against its own grain.
Etymology
From un- + nature.
noun
- That which is contrary to nature; the unnatural.e.g.“So as to be rather unnature, after all, than nature.” — 1858, Horace Bushnell, Nature and the Supernatural:
verb
- To change the nature of; to invest with a different or contrary nature.e.g.“A right heavenly nature, indeed, as it were unnaturing them, doth so bridle them [the elements].” — a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: [
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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