annus mirabilis

[ahn-noos mi-rah-bi-lis, an-uhs-muh-rab-uh-lis]

noun

Latin.

plural

anni mirabiles 

1. year of wonders; wonderful year.

annus mirabilis

/ ˈænʊs mɪˈræbɪlɪs /

noun

1. a year of wonders, catastrophes, or other notable events

annus mirabilis

1. A Latin expression meaning “miraculous year.” The term refers to a year in which an unusual number of remarkable things occurred: “The Waste Land and Ulysses both appeared in 1922, the annus mirabilis of modern literature.”

The reverse is an annus horribilus, or “terrible year.” Queen Elizabeth II used the term in 1992, referring to a major fire at Windsor Castle and the widely publicized marital problems of her family members.

Example Sentences

Consider just some of the albums released during this annus mirabilis: “Like a Prayer.”

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Then the coronavirus hit and Raphael’s annus mirabilis turned into the world’s annus horribilis.

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There was a plague, so Isaac Newton went home, and for him it was an annus mirabilis, which in Latin is a “year of miracles.”

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Two thousand and six was something of an annus mirabilis for Morgan.

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“Watchmen” also arrived during what, in hindsight, was an annus mirabilis for comic books.

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