blessing

noun

bless·​ing ˈble-siŋ 

1

a

: the act or words of one that blesses

say the blessing over the wine

a priestly blessing

b

: approval, encouragement

asked her parents for their blessing before he proposed

2

: a thing conducive to happiness or welfare

My daughter is a blessing to me in my old age.

Their absence turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Count your blessings.

3

: grace (see grace entry 1 sense 4) said at a meal

said the blessing before dinner

Synonyms of blessing

• prayer
• petition
• benediction
• benison
• plea

Examples of blessing in a Sentence

Presumably he was acting with the government's blessing.

They got married without their parents' blessing.

We asked the Lord's blessing on us and on our project.

He said a blessing before the meal.

Recent Examples on the Web

And while that was a bit daunting, Aster says Barbie’s impressive history was actually a blessing in disguise. — Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026

By Israel’s calculation, Turkey occupied 5% of Syrian territory, though essentially with Damascus’s blessing and cooperation. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 18 Aug. 2026

Being vulnerable could be a blessing, but not at the expense of personal security. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Aug. 2026

The public, which had been barred from the site for decades because of vandalism and disrepair, was welcomed Thursday evening to the dedication and blessing of the trail’s crosses. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see bless

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing blessing

• mixed blessing
• second blessing

Rhymes for blessing

• dressing
• guessing
• messing
• pressing
• stressing
• accessing
• addressing
• assessing
• caressing
• compressing
• confessing
• depressing

Kids Definition

blessing

noun

bless·​ing

ˈbles-iŋ

1

: the act or words of one that blesses

2

: approval

gave my blessing to the plan

3

: something that makes one happy or content

4

: grace said at a meal