Meaning & use
blessing in disguise
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiomfigurative
Something that first looks like bad luck or a problem but later turns out to be beneficial.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase, often after an or the: losing that job was a blessing in disguise.
Patterns
- turn out to be a blessing in disguise
- prove a blessing in disguise
- be a blessing in disguise
Missing the flight was a blessing in disguise, since it crashed into a storm.
Getting laid off turned out to be a blessing in disguise for her career.
The broken phone was a blessing in disguise because he spent less time online.
phraseidiomfigurative
A setback that forces someone to change course and leads to a better life, used when looking back.
Grammar: Spoken once the good result is known, often with the verb prove.
Patterns
- a real blessing in disguise
- call it a blessing in disguise
Her injury proved a blessing in disguise, giving her time to write.
He now calls his failed exam a blessing in disguise.
The rain was a blessing in disguise, because the crowds stayed away.
Word forms
| plural | blessings in disguise |
|---|
Common combinations
- turn out to be a blessing in disguise
- The delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
- prove a blessing in disguise
- The move proved a blessing in disguise.
- a real blessing in disguise
- Her new neighbor was a real blessing in disguise.
- call it a blessing in disguise
- Some people might call it a blessing in disguise.
- seem like a blessing in disguise
- Nothing seemed like a blessing in disguise at the time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- silver lining
- Silver lining names the good part inside a bad situation, while blessing in disguise names the whole event that proves good.
- stroke of luck
- Stroke of luck is positive from the start, whereas a blessing in disguise looks bad at first.
- happy accident
- Happy accident stresses an unplanned good result, without the earlier appearance of misfortune.
- fortunate turn
- Fortunate turn is a plain description and lacks the hidden irony of the idiom.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: blessing in disguise or mixed blessing?
blessing in disguise vs mixed blessing
A mixed blessing has both good and bad sides, but a blessing in disguise looks bad at first and turns out good.
Practice
Losing her wallet seemed terrible, but it led her to meet her future husband at the police station. It was a ____.
Choose one answer.
A blessing in disguise is a seeming misfortune with a good result. A mixed blessing has both good and bad parts, and the other idioms mean something else.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blessing in disguise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.