Meanings
- no pluralSomething that is simultaneously a benefit and a burden, or that may seem initially beneficial but also brings unforeseen negative consequences.
2 more examples
What is that which is a friend and an enemy, a blessing and a curse, which saves life and takes it away; is long and short, round and square, rough and smooth, straight and crooked, hard and soft, hot and cold, and most wanted when it is in greatest plenty; which accommodates itself to all palates; is sweet and of bad smell, strong and weak; sometimes able to bear great burdens, but at other times will not bear a pin.
1835, The London Riddler; or, The Art of Teasing Made EasyOn the whole the Contrabando was both a blessing and a curse; it was a blessing and a great benefit in that it brought the necessities of life to the people, but a curse in that it was training them in intrigue, because the contrabandistas often resorted to piracy along the sequestered coasts and on the open seas; they would sell their commodities to the people, then turn around and loot the cattle and hogs in the fields.
1940, Olive G. Gibson, The Isle of a Hundred Harbors, B. Humphries, Incorporated, page 204
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From the King James translation of Deuteronomy 11:26 (Behold, I set before you this day, a blessing and a curse.).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 塞翁失馬，焉知非福 /塞翁失马, 焉知非福
- 塞翁失馬，焉知非福 /塞翁失马something that is both a benefit and a burden
- 焉知非福 (sàiwēng shī mǎ, yānzhī fēi fú)something that is both a benefit and a burden
- 既是好事，也是壞事 /既是好事something that is both a benefit and a burden
- 也是坏事something that is both a benefit and a burden
Czech požehnání a prokletí, požehnání i prokletí
- požehnání a prokletísomething that is both a benefit and a burden
- požehnání i prokletísomething that is both a benefit and a burden
Finnish sekä siunaus että kirous
- sekä siunaus että kiroussomething that is both a benefit and a burden
German Segen und Fluch, Fluch und Segen
- Segen und Fluchsomething that is both a benefit and a burden
- Fluch und Segensomething that is both a benefit and a burden
Polish miecz obosieczny
- miecz obosiecznysomething that is both a benefit and a burden
Portuguese uma bênção e uma maldição
- uma bênção e uma maldiçãosomething that is both a benefit and a burden
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with a blessing and a curse
Cite this entry
a blessing and a curse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20blessing%20and%20a%20curse
“a blessing and a curse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20blessing%20and%20a%20curse. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “a blessing and a curse,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/a%20blessing%20and%20a%20curse.
Source: a blessing and a curse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.