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Synonyms

blessing

American  
[bles-ing] / ˈblɛs ɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or words of a person who blesses.

  2. a special favor, mercy, or benefit.

    the blessings of liberty.
    Synonyms:
    bounty , profit , gain , boon , advantage

  3. a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.

  4. the invoking of God's favor upon a person.

    The son was denied his father's blessing.

  5. praise; devotion; worship, especially grace said before a meal.

    The children took turns reciting the blessing.

  6. approval or good wishes.

    The proposed law had the blessing of the governor.
blessing British  
/ ˈblɛsɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of invoking divine protection or aid

  2. the words or ceremony used for this

  3. a short prayer of thanksgiving before or after a meal; grace

  4. Also called: brachah.   brocho.  Judaism

    1. a short prayer prescribed for a specific occasion and beginning "Blessed art thou, O Lord…"

    2. a section of the liturgy including a similar formula

  5. approval; good wishes

    her father gave his blessing to the marriage

  6. the bestowal of a divine gift or favour

  7. a happy event or state of affairs

    a blessing in disguise
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
blessing Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing blessing

Etymology

Origin of blessing

First recorded before 900; Middle English blessinge, blessunge, Old English bletsung, bledsung; equivalent to bless + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Today he works for a skilled-trade union that is deploying two dozen workers to the site, and he hails the reopening as a “blessing.”

From The Wall Street Journal

By September 2025, Booker announced their engagement on Instagram, calling her “one of the greatest unearned blessings of my life.”

From Salon

Other discoveries include a votive token depicting Christ offering a blessing.

From The Wall Street Journal

“For many years I have shared my family with you all—the highs and lows, the ups and downs, and all of the blessings and beautiful memories in between,” the on-screen star wrote.

From MarketWatch

Practical advice from one Charles Dickens in “Sketches by Boz”: “Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.