Definition

Noun: A person who is believed to or claims to be able to perform miracles, which are extraordinary and welcome events that are not explicable by natural or scientific laws and are therefore attributed to a divine or supernatural agency. In a figurative sense, it can also describe a person who achieves highly successful or seemingly impossible results, especially in difficult situations.

Usage and Examples

• Literal/Religious Context: Refers to a holy person or religious figure believed to perform acts of divine power.
  • The villagers believed the traveling preacher was a miracle worker who could heal the sick.
  • Many stories describe saints as miracle workers.
• Figurative Context: Describes someone who solves extremely difficult problems or achieves outstanding success against the odds.
  • Our new manager is a miracle worker; she turned the failing project around in a month.
  • You got the kids to bed on time and the house clean? You're a miracle worker!

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used hyperbolically in everyday language to express great admiration for someone's skill or effectiveness in a challenging area.
  • My mechanic is a miracle worker with old engines.
• It can imply a sense of awe or that the person's methods are somewhat mysterious or exceptionally skillful.

Variants and Related Words

• Miracle (n): The extraordinary event itself.
  • It was a miracle that everyone survived the crash.
• Miraculous (adj): Having the nature of a miracle; remarkable and fortunate.
  • Her recovery was miraculous.

Synonyms

• Wonder-worker
• Thaumaturge (formal)
• Magician (figurative)
• Genius (figurative, in a specific field)

Idioms and Common Phrases

• To work miracles / To perform miracles: To achieve astonishingly good results.
  • This new software works miracles for organizing data.
  • A good night's sleep can perform miracles for your mood.

Noun

1. a person who claims or is alleged to perform miracles