Definition

Noun: 1. A marvellous event manifesting a supernatural act of a divine agent: An extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. 2. Any amazing or wonderful occurrence: A highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences.

Usage

• The central meaning of "miracle" describes an event that defies natural explanation, often seen as divine intervention.
• In a more figurative or secular sense, it describes an outcome or achievement so positive and unexpected that it seems almost impossible.

Examples

• Divine/Supernatural Context:
  • Many religions describe miracles performed by prophets or saints.
  • They prayed for a miracle to save the dying child.
• Figurative/Secular Context:
  • It's a miracle that no one was hurt in the accident.
  • The doctors performed a medical miracle with the complex surgery.
  • Her recovery was nothing short of a miracle.

Advanced Usage

• "to a miracle": (archaic/literary) Perfectly, exactly, or to a marvelous degree.
  • The plan succeeded to a miracle.
• "expect a miracle" / "need a miracle": Used to indicate that a situation is so dire or an expectation is so high that only an extraordinary, unlikely event can resolve it.
  • To finish this project on time, we would need a miracle.

Variants and Related Words

• Miraculous (adjective): Of the nature of a miracle; having or working like a miracle.
  • She made a miraculous recovery.
• Miraculously (adverb): In a way that suggests or resembles a miracle.
  • He survived the fall miraculously.

Synonyms

• Wonder: A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, or inexplicable.
• Marvel: A wonderful or astonishing person or thing.
• Phenomenon: A remarkable or exceptional person or event.

Related Phrases

• Miracle worker: A person who achieves or is capable of achieving miracles.
  • That teacher is a miracle worker with difficult students.
• Miracle cure/drug: A treatment hailed as being extraordinarily effective, often prematurely or exaggeratedly.
  • The media touted the new pill as a miracle cure.

Idioms

• A miracle of...: Used to emphasize the extraordinary quality of something.
  • The tiny watch was a miracle of precision engineering.
• It will take a miracle: Expressing that something is extremely unlikely to happen.
  • It will take a miracle for our team to win now.

Noun

1. a marvellous event manifesting a supernatural act of a divine agent
2. any amazing or wonderful occurrence