These words refer to things and occurrences that are, or seem to be, breaks with the natural order, or unexplainable departures from ordinary reality. Supernatural would seem unambiguous in referring to anything that is literally "beyond nature" or cannot be explained by commonsense experience or the scientific method, especially to phenomena of a divine or heavenly character. Nevertheless, some people would exclude the possibility of such phenomena, and, to them, supernatural might be used to express scepticism or disbelief: priestly hocus-pocus and supernatural rigmarole. Furthermore, supernatural has gathered suggestions that make it particularly relevant to the context of occultists and spiritualists. Since many believers would find such interests heterodox, this flavour of the word restricts its use in a more general religious sense.

Magical has far less complicated implications; now it refers strictly to acts or things believed to confer supernatural powers: a magical charm to drive away evil spirits. This meaning makes it useful to anthropologists to describe aspects of primitive cultures whose religion is animist. More loosely, the word may refer hyperbolically to anything charged with meaning and emotion, or which is awe-inspiring: the magical moment when the earth became visible to the orbiting astronauts. Miraculous is, of course, used in a religious context to refer to supernatural acts of saints or deities: the miraculous ability to levitate attributed to some Tibetan lamas; the miraculous changing of water into wine during the marriage at Cana. On a less elevated plane, miraculous is often used to refer to a last-minute or unexpected stroke of good fortune: a miraculous escape from their pursuers.

Preternatural puts contention to rest by specifically indicating those things that seem beyond explanation in terms of ordinary reality, but that are the result of unusual or rare causes: a preternatural ability to do complicated sums in his head.

• Science works with preternatural phenomena in hopes of including them eventually within the widening circle of what we consider natural and explainable.

Superhuman indicates powers beyond those possessed by man, but again overtones obtrude; one might speak of the superhuman force of a hurricane or the superhuman compassion of God, but such descriptions might seem obvious, therefore trivial or irreverent. More often the word is used as a simple hyperbole for human effort that seems extreme: his room-mate’s superhuman powers of concentration.