Meaning & use
unexpected blessing
Last updated
Meaning
phrasecountable
something good that happens when you did not expect it, often after a difficult time
Grammar: Countable: use 'an' before the singular and add -s for the plural.
Patterns
- an unexpected blessing
- turn out to be an unexpected blessing
- something comes as an unexpected blessing
Losing that job turned out to be an unexpected blessing, because it pushed me to start my own business.
The rain on our wedding day was an unexpected blessing: the photos look magical.
Her illness brought the family closer, which was a sad but unexpected blessing.
Word forms
| plural | unexpected blessings |
|---|
Common combinations
- turn out to be an unexpected blessing
- The delay turned out to be an unexpected blessing.
- come as an unexpected blessing
- The extra free time came as an unexpected blessing.
- a real unexpected blessing
- Finding that flat was a real unexpected blessing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- blessing in disguise
- This is the more idiomatic fixed phrase and stresses that something seemed bad at first; 'unexpected blessing' only says you did not see it coming.
- lucky break
- This is more informal and suggests chance or luck, while 'unexpected blessing' sounds warmer and more emotional.
- godsend
- This is stronger and often means something that arrives exactly when you need it.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: unexpected blessing or mixed blessing?
unexpected blessing vs mixed blessing
A mixed blessing has both good and bad sides, while an unexpected blessing is simply good and surprising.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'unexpected blessing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
An unexpected blessing must be something clearly good, so the scholarship fits. Options An and B describe bad or neutral events, and D uses the phrase as a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unexpected blessing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.