English Reference
adjective

miraculous

adj.
US /mɝˈækjəɫəs/ UK /mɪɹˈækjʊləs/ mirac·u·lous

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Religion

    caused by a god or a supernatural power that science cannot explain.

    occurring through divine or supernatural intervention; transcending the known laws of nature.

    Simple

    The villagers believed the sudden rain was a miraculous gift from heaven.

    In context

    The hagiography details several miraculous healings attributed to the saint, which the church later investigated for official canonisation.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    very surprising and lucky, especially when you did not expect a good result.

    highly improbable and extraordinary; bringing about a very welcome result against all odds.

    Simple

    The pilot made a miraculous landing in the field after the engine failed.

    In context

    The team staged a miraculous comeback in the final minutes of the match, scoring three goals to secure their place in the championship.

It was Stumpf's research assistant Oskar Pfungst who eventually got to the root of Hans's miraculous powers.

Phys.org· 27 Aug 2026

It is a neat visual metaphor for a true story that seems miraculous in itself.

The Guardian· 16 Aug 2026

From Middle French miraculeux. Displaced native Old English wundorlīċ.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin frm miraculeux
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated