blessing
noun
Simple meaning
A ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
blehsingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈblɛsɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection
A pronouncement invoking divine aid.
Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward.
The act of declaring or bestowing favor; approval.
A short prayer of thanks before a meal
A prayer before a meal; grace.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection
Used this way, blessing is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. This is a religious use: it carries the weight of tradition and ceremony.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Formal and ceremonial
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Where it naturally appears
- Religion/spirituality
- Historical writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use blessing
- “He gave the project his blessing.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
The act of praying for divine protection.
A prayer; petition.
A short prayer said at meals.
Free and undeserved favour, especially of God.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.