mixed blessing
Gift with drawbacks
A mixed blessing is something that has both advantages and disadvantages, where the benefits come paired with drawbacks.
A job promotion might be a mixed blessing—more money but longer hours.
The rain was a mixed blessing: it ended the drought but flooded the roads.
The phrase acknowledges that good fortune often carries hidden costs.
Wistful yet warm
- trade-offExchange requiring sacrifice
- double-edgedHaving opposite effects
- two-sidedWith opposite surfaces
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
catch-22 · give-and-take · backhanded · qualified · tempered · conflicted · complicated · nuanced
Unintended secondary outcome
- drawbackUnfavorable feature or flaw
- downsideDisadvantage of something
- unforeseenNot predicted or expected
- unexpectedNot anticipated beforehand
surprise · twist · complication · tradeoff · caveat · flip-side · repercussion · byproduct
Unanticipated lucky gain
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- promotionRank increase or publicity
- famePublic recognition, widespread
- wealthAbundance of valuable resources
success · victory · pregnancy · retirement · technology · growth · opportunity · gift
bittersweet
Wistful yet warm
- trade-offExchange requiring sacrifice
- double-edgedHaving opposite effects
- two-sidedWith opposite surfaces
paradox · catch-22 · give-and-take · backhanded · qualified · tempered · conflicted · complicated · nuanced · half-full
side-effect
Unintended secondary outcome
- drawbackUnfavorable feature or flaw
- downsideDisadvantage of something
- unforeseenNot predicted or expected
unexpected · surprise · twist · complication · tradeoff · caveat · flip-side · repercussion · byproduct · collateral
windfall
Unanticipated lucky gain
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- promotionRank increase or publicity
- famePublic recognition, widespread
wealth · success · victory · pregnancy · retirement · technology · growth · opportunity · gift · change
- double-edged swordstrade-off, Catch-22, bittersweet, risk-reward, pros and cons
- trade-offstrade-off, pros and cons, give and take, two sides, cost
- life lessonslesson learned, moral, lessons learned, life lessons, parable
- bittersweet momentsfarewell, letting go, saying goodbye, final goodbye, empty nest
mixed blessingpure luck
Entirely unearned good fortune
godsend · windfall · stroke of luck · blessing in disguise · silver lining
mixed, mixture, blessing, mixer, blessed, mixing, blessings, unmixed, mixers