blessing

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Something that brings you happiness, relief or good luck, especially something you are thankful to have.

   Grammar: Countable in this sense: a blessing, two blessings.

   Patterns

   • a blessing for someone
   • count your blessings

   Having neighbors who water the plants is a real blessing when we travel.

   The rain was a blessing after weeks of drought.

   Good health is a blessing we often forget to value.

2. 2nounsingular

   Approval or permission given by someone with authority or influence, allowing a plan to go ahead.

   Grammar: Usually used with possessive or the: with her parents' blessing.

   Patterns

   • with someone's blessing
   • give something your blessing

   The couple married with the full blessing of both families.

   The council gave the new park its blessing last week.

   He started the business with his boss's blessing.

3. 3nouncountable or uncountablereligion

   A prayer or ritual asking God to protect or favor a person, place or thing.

   Grammar: You can say a blessing or, of the act, the giving of blessing.

   Patterns

   • say a blessing
   • a blessing over something

   Before the meal, my grandfather said a short blessing.

   The priest offered a blessing over the new fishing boat.

   The villagers gathered for the blessing of the fields.

Word forms

Common combinations

a blessing in disguise

Missing that train turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since it later broke down.

count your blessings

When things feel hard, it helps to count your blessings.

mixed blessing

Fame was a mixed blessing for the young singer.

give your blessing

My father gave his blessing to the plan.

with someone's blessing

She left for art school with her mother's blessing.

Synonyms and how they differ

boon

A boon is a helpful thing that makes life easier, and it sounds more formal than blessing, which can also be emotional or religious.

approval

Approval is plain and neutral, while blessing suggests a warmer, more personal go-ahead from someone important.

godsend

A godsend is something that arrives at exactly the right moment, a narrower idea than the general good fortune of a blessing.

benediction

Benediction is a formal spoken blessing at the end of worship, whereas blessing is the common everyday word.

Opposites

Word family

bless verb

to ask for or give divine favor, or to make holy

blessed adjective

fortunate, or holy

blessedness noun

a state of great happiness or holiness

unblessed adjective

lacking a blessing

Commonly confused: blessing or blessed?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “blessing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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