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miraculously

C2
adverb

Pronunciation

UK

  • /mɪrˈækjʊləsli/

US

  • /mərˈækjələsli/

Description

Sometimes things happen in a way that is very hard to explain, so unlikely that they feel almost impossible. That is when we say something happened miraculously. It does not always mean a real religious miracle happened. More often, it means something very lucky and unexpected took place. A cat might miraculously survive a fall from a great height, or a lost wallet might miraculously turn up after weeks of searching. The word suggests a happy surprise that feels far beyond normal luck.

Think of it like this: if you win the lottery, that's luck. If you survive a plane crash with no injuries, that's miraculously lucky! It implies something extraordinary and positive happened against all odds.

Examples

  1. 1

    Survival

    He was badly injured in the crash, but he miraculously survived.

  2. 2

    Weather

    After a week of rain, the sky miraculously cleared just in time for the wedding.

  3. 3

    Travel timing

    We thought we had missed the last train, but we miraculously made it to the station before it left.

    • Phrase

      make it to

      arrive somewhere in time

  4. 4

    Lost item

    The old photo, which everyone thought was lost, miraculously turned up in a drawer.

  5. 5

    Disaster survival

    The village was surrounded by fire, yet the school was miraculously left untouched.

See also

adverbin an unexpectedly fortunate or seemingly impossible way

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

Used with (collocations)

  • miraculously survived
  • miraculously recovered
  • miraculously escaped

Word family

Explore

  • divine intervention
  • against all odds

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • miraculouslyadverb