godsend

noun

Simple meaning

A sudden happening that brings good fortune.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

gahdsend

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡɑdsɛnd

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

A sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
An instance of unexpected benefit or good fortune; a windfall.
A person who provides greatly needed assistance.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency: Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)

Used this way, godsend is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It suits reflective writing more than quick conversation.

Emotional tone: Positive
Formality: Slightly formal
Intensity: Moderate
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Fortunate or pleasantly unexpected
Usage feel: Reflective and slightly elevated

Nearby words

gravy , more casual, better suited to speech than writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

perfect godsendreal godsendabsolute godsendtrue godsend

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)

windfall

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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.