bless
Invoke good upon
Bless originally meant to make sacred through ritual, especially by sprinkling blood.
The religious sense persists: a priest blesses the congregation, and people say bless you after a sneeze—an old belief that sneezing expelled evil spirits.
To be blessed with something is to be fortunate to have it: blessed with good health.
In Southern American speech, bless your heart can express genuine sympathy or thinly veiled condescension.
Make sacred officially
- sanctifyMake officially holy
- anointApply ceremonial oil
- baptizeAdmit through sacred rite
- ordainConfer clerical authority
dedicate · hallow · sacrament · benediction · prayer · altar · clergy · priest
Express gratitude to
- glorifyPraise to excess
- extolPraise with enthusiasm
- exaltPraise with great intensity
- magnifyIncrease perceived size
laud · worship · adore · venerate · revere · give thanks · doxology · hallelujah
Item given freely
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- favorKind act or preference
- endowProvide with lasting funds
- grantBestow or award money
confer · impart · bounty · abundance · benefaction · providence · bestowal · boon
Approval or punitive measure
- endorseGive official approval
- consentVoluntary agreement given
- authorizeGrant formal permission
- supportTo uphold or sustain
affirm · ratify · validate · permit · condone · assent · countenance · green light
Favored by chance
- favoredShown special preference
- charmedPleased or bewitched
- gracedAdded honor to
- privilegedHaving special advantages
providential · serendipitous · auspicious · fortunate · God-given · heaven-sent
Precaution against harm
- shieldHandheld defensive armor
- watch overMonitor protectively
- keepRetain or fortified tower
- preserveProtect from loss
guard · deliverance · salvation · sanctuary · haven · refuge · aegis · divine protection
consecrate
Make sacred officially
ordain · dedicate · hallow · sacrament · benediction · prayer · altar · clergy · priest · bishop
thank
Express gratitude to
magnify · laud · worship · adore · venerate · revere · give thanks · doxology · hallelujah · hosanna
gift
Item given freely
grant · confer · impart · bounty · abundance · benefaction · providence · bestowal · boon · beneficence
sanction
Approval or punitive measure
support · affirm · ratify · validate · permit · condone · assent · countenance · green light
lucky
Favored by chance
privileged · providential · serendipitous · auspicious · fortunate · God-given · heaven-sent
safeguard
Precaution against harm
- shieldHandheld defensive armor
- watch overMonitor protectively
- keepRetain or fortified tower
preserve · guard · deliverance · salvation · sanctuary · haven · refuge · aegis · divine protection · guardian angel
damn
Mild expletive
- worshippraying, congregational prayer, adoration, praise God, evening prayer
- Bible Wordsthou, thee, thy, thine, unto
- London slanginnit, bruv, fam, roadman, bare
- venerationvenerate, revere, reverence, glorify, exalt
- worship verbspray, anoint, baptize, consecrate, ordain
- spellsspell, cast, conjure, curse, enchantment
blesscurse
Invoked harm through words
damn · anathematize · execrate · hex · bewitch
- bless youResponse to a sneeze
- God bless youSneeze acknowledgment phrase
- blessing in disguiseApparent misfortune yielding benefit
- count your blessingsAcknowledge what's fortunate
- a blessing in disguiseApparent misfortune proving beneficial
- mixed blessingAdvantage with attendant downsides
blessing, blessed, blessings, blesses, blest, unblessed, blessedly, blessedness, bless you