fall from grace

Idioms  

1. Experience reduced status or prestige, cease to be held in favor, as in The whole department has fallen from grace and may well be dissolved entirely. This expression originally alluded to losing the favor of God. Today it is also used more loosely, as in the example. [Late 1300s]

---

Example Sentences

Martin’s fall from grace has been swift but not particularly surprising.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

It’s a soft landing for his fall from grace.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol capped a remarkable fall from grace on Thursday when he was sentenced to life imprisonment over his bungled efforts to impose military rule.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Similar events worldwide have dovetailed with the narrative landscape of the musical, which centers on the dictator’s wife, Imelda Marcos, her rise to power and her fall from grace.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

The strange thing was, the girl’s fall from grace ought to have pleased Mariam, brought her a sense of vindication.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini