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Consider this expression

What Brad Pitt did in the movie Money Ball was beyond human, he turned down an offer of 12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.

What similar words can I use here for "beyond human"?

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  • Ask superman! :)
    – Persian Cat
    Commented Feb 12, 2013 at 23:15
  • 3
    A little detail please: is 'beyond human' intended to mean 'superhumanly virtuous' or 'subhumanly stupid' or 'wholly implausible'?
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Commented Feb 13, 2013 at 0:55
  • @StoneyB It is the first one, and little bit like 'wholly implausible, but not stupid. I want it to mean some thing like 'extra ordinary gesture from Brad Pitt to his current team'.
    – Max
    Commented Feb 13, 2013 at 5:12

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In general "superhuman" is probably the best choice.
In the example given, "unquestionable loyalty" probably describes him better. But that would not be "superhuman".

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    You could also say he is a person of "exceptional character". For example, "What Brad Pitt did in the movie Money Ball displayed his exceptional character; he turned down an offer of 12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.". Its not really superhuman, but it fits the example of doing something far beyond what the average person would do. Also in the example as written, the two clauses are independent, so a semi-colon should be used. Or a comma and conjuction (human, as...).
    – user485
    Commented Mar 2, 2013 at 17:57
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The term selfless may be applied here if your intent is 'extra ordinary gesture from Brad Pitt to his current team'

selfless : Having, exhibiting, or motivated by no concern for oneself; unselfish

What Brad Pitt did in the movie "Money Ball" was truly selfless- he turned down an offer of 12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.

Selfless acts are often viewed by others as superhuman and sometimes implausible because people are generally expected to act in their own rational self interest and selfless acts don't fit that mold.

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A phrase works best for me to describe Brad Pitt's character's act of generosity:

"the epitome of selflessness"

From the Google dictionary:

e·pit·o·me (/iˈpitəmē/)

Noun: 1.A person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type: "she is the epitome of elegance and taste".

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Angelic. Exceptional. Exemplary. Kingly. Superior. Above and beyond. Beyond the call of duty. Beyond belief. Noble. (You can emphasize "noble" by restructuring to: "showed true nobility.") Mind-blowing. Unimpeachable.

And many more. It all depends on the connotation you're after.

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"Extraordinary" makes a lot of sense here, as what is human is "ordinary," so "extraordinary" means "beyond human."

Something else that sounds good is "incredible," which means "so powerful that I almost can't believe it." "Unbelievable" is a pretty obvious one, too.

For your specific situation, I would go with "extraordinary." It carries a very similar meaning as "beyond human" but sounds a lot better.

What Brad Pitt did in the movie Moneyball was extraordinary: he turned down an offer of $12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.

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I am taking the meaning as what he has done is something too virtuous to be expected from any human, because according to me that is what fits here well.

You can say Godlike which means "beyond human".

What Brad Pitt did in the movie Money Ball was godlike, he turned down an offer of 12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.

Also extraordinary fits quite well, which means pleasant, exceptional and unexpected in general (i.e. from normal human being in this context)

What Brad Pitt did in the movie Money Ball was extraordinary, he turned down an offer of 12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.

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    +1 for extraordinary, not so much for godlike
    – Jim
    Commented Feb 13, 2013 at 4:06
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Altruist may be a good choice.

Dictionary.com defines altruist as following:

altruist — a person unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others (opposed to egoist). altruism — 1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others;
2. the philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the greatest benefit to others;

So,

What Brad Pitt did in the movie Money Ball was altruistic, he turned down an offer of 12.3 million to stay loyal to his team.

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    This is literally accurate, but the usual connotation associated with "altruistic" is "generous." I have never seen it used when it wasn't in the context of (literally) giving away money.
    – John M. Landsberg
    Commented Mar 6, 2013 at 0:41
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I think the following three words are the best in the following order

Extraordinary http://thesaurus.com/browse/extraordinary

Stunning - http://thesaurus.com/browse/stunning

Incredible http://thesaurus.com/browse/incredible

Check by replacing these words in your sentence.

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