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heaven-sent

heaven-sent

3 6.8
Very lucky and coming at just the right time
  • adjective
  • /ˈhɛvənˌsɛnt/
translation icon : enviado por el cielo
  • You know, this is a heaven-sent opportunity.
  • a heaven-sent opportunity

Examples

  • For an anthropologist suspicious of artifice and with a populist bent, this cinematic democratization must seem heaven-sent.

    Academic text (1995)
  • It's a heaven-sent blessing, Sancho.

  • To Morgan, Leopold's new state seemed heaven-sent.

    Academic text (1998)
  • This wind is heaven-sent.

  • In the words of journalist turned historian William Shirer, such times were heaven sent for Adolf Hitler.

  • They are obviously fishing for people down on their luck who have nowhere to turn, and such a solicitation would seem heaven-sent, especially if you had been turned down for a refinance before.

    Blog text (17)
  • This rain is heaven-sent; the crops were suffering from drought.

  • The unexpected support from my friends was heaven-sent during my toughest times.

  • Her arrival at the meeting was heaven-sent, as we needed her expertise to make a decision.

Synonyms

miraculous
vsheaven-sent
95 4.3

Very surprising and lucky in a way people cannot explain

focuses more on exact timing and helpfulness than sheer extraordinariness
godsend
vsheaven-sent
28 4.9

Something very helpful that you did not expect when you needed it

is similar but implies divine timing rather than just help
divine
vsheaven-sent
23 6.5

Seeming to come from God or a higher power

emphasizes perfect timing rather than originating from a godly source
providential
vsheaven-sent
5 8.1

Happens at the right time and looks like a lucky help

stresses being timely due to apparent divine intervention
manna from heaven
vsheaven-sent
  • Informal
2 7.5

A sudden helpful gift when you need it most

is more focused on being timely and fate-like than just helpful
the answer to someone's prayers
vsheaven-sent
  • Informal
2 5.1

A thing or person that gives exactly what someone needs after a long wait

suggests perfect timing and luck rather than fulfilling a personal desire
gift from above
vsheaven-sent
  • Informal
1 4.2

An unexpected good thing that feels like it comes from above

is the same lucky event but focuses on exact timely arrival
Christmas come early
vsheaven-sent
  • Informal
1 7.3

A very welcome surprise like getting gifts before Christmas

is more about divine intervention and precise timing than an idiom
blessed
vsheaven-sent
2.3

Feeling lucky and happy about something

refers to an event's timely arrival rather than a personal feeling

Antonyms

5 3.0

A person who has bad luck or a hard life

3 5.5

Happening at a bad time that causes problems

How Fortunate

heaven-sent
3 6.8
miraculous
95 4.3
fortunate
296 1.8
timely
111 3.0

Surface Forms

heaven-sent positive

Morphology

heaven-sent = heaven + send (transparent) = heaven + sent

The adjective is a straightforward compound meaning 'sent from heaven' (i.e., providential), so a learner who knows 'heaven' and 'send/sent' can derive the sense.

Etymology

Heaven-sent comes from heaven 'from above' and sent 'the past of send', and it means something is thought to be sent by heaven. So, a heaven-sent thing feels like a lucky, perfectly timed help that arrives just when you need it.