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.
Going with the flow has been a saving grace for the family, who live in Illinois, and own the local tea shop Madame Zuzu’s. Rachel Desantis, People.com, 10 Mar. 2025 Though autonomous vehicles demonstrate better safety records (except during dawn and dusk), the social implications of displacing 5% of the workforce would have been severe, so perhaps slow adoption has been a saving grace. Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025 Media outlets reported the ban as likely to remain in place, but many pointed to the arguments about First Amendment protections as a saving grace. David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025 Unexpectedly, the following blankness is his saving grace. Audrey Wollen, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 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 28 Mar. 2025.

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!