blessing
/ˈblɛsɪŋ/
noun
Common
1.n.the formal act of approving
“he gave the project his blessing”
2.n.a desirable state
“enjoy the blessings of peace”
3.n.a short prayer of thanks before a meal
“their youngest son said grace”
Loading page
blessing and grace share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. blessing means “the formal act of approving”. grace means “(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence”. grace is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈblɛsɪŋ/
1.n.the formal act of approving
“he gave the project his blessing”
2.n.a desirable state
“enjoy the blessings of peace”
3.n.a short prayer of thanks before a meal
“their youngest son said grace”
/ˈɡɹeɪs/
1.n.(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
“the conception of grace developed alongside the conception of sin”
2.n.elegance and beauty of movement or expression
“a beautiful figure which she used in subtle movements of unparalleled grace”
3.n.a sense of propriety and consideration for others
“a place where the company of others must be accepted with good grace”
| blessing | grace | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈblɛsɪŋ/ | /ˈɡɹeɪs/ |
| Said | BLES-ing | grays |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Letters | 8 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 5 | 10 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | approval, approving | saving grace, state of grace |
Full entry for blessing · Full entry for grace · More comparisons