numinous

3 synonyms and 2 antonyms for numinous, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adj — Connected with a god or divine spirit; showing that a divine power is present.

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adj

Connected with a god or divine spirit; showing that a divine power is present.

“He held his own body in numinous esteem.”

Opposites

profane secular

2. adj

Giving a strong feeling of wonder or mystery, as if something greater than us is present.

“A post-scarcity communism that doesn't dispense with all thoughts of the divine and numinous can't be precluded.”

magical mystical mystic

Etymology

Formed from Latin nūmen (“nod of the head; divine sway or will; divinity”) and -ous (a suffix forming adjectives from nouns, showing possession or presence of a quality). Nūmen itself is thought to come either from Latin *nuō (“to nod”) or from Ancient Greek νοούμενον (nooúmenon, “influence perceptible by the mind but...

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magical secular mystical mystic profane

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