saving grace

noun

: a redeeming quality or factor

Examples of saving grace in a Sentence

It's expensive, but the machine's saving grace is its ease of operation. One of her saving graces is a good sense of humor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
George Metalsky Redondo Beach Bill Plaschke’s New Year’s Day column on Los Angeles sports as a saving grace in very difficult times was a home run, touchdown and three-point shot all at one time. Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026 That's the one saving grace about the lot being closed in Minneapolis on New Year's Day. Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 1 Jan. 2026 With a billion-dollar Powerball jackpot at stake, anonymity might be a saving grace for some. Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025 Its maverick approach to media and its broadening foothold in the industry may be its saving grace in the eyes of regulators. Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for saving grace

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of saving grace was in 1798

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Saving grace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saving%20grace. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!