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elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action:
We watched her skate with effortless grace across the ice.
Synonyms: attractiveness, charm, gracefulness, comeliness, ease, lissomeness, fluidity.
Antonyms: stiffness, ugliness, awkwardness, clumsiness; klutziness.
a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment:
He lacked the manly graces.
favor or goodwill.
Synonyms: kindness, kindliness, love, benignity; condescension.
a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior:
It was only through the dean’s grace that I wasn’t expelled from school.
Synonyms: forgiveness, charity, mercifulness.
Antonyms: animosity, enmity, disfavor.
mercy; clemency; pardon:
He was saved by an act of grace from the governor.
Synonyms: lenity, leniency, reprieve.
Antonyms: harshness.
favor shown in granting a delay or temporary immunity.
an allowance of time after a debt or bill has become payable granted to the debtor before suit can be brought against him or her or a penalty applied:
The life insurance premium is due today, but we have 31 days’ grace before the policy lapses.
Compare grace period.
Theology.

the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.
a virtue or excellence of divine origin:
the Christian graces.
Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God’s favor or one of the elect.

moral strength:
the grace to perform a duty.
a short prayer before or after a meal, in which a blessing is asked and thanks are given:
Grandfather will now say grace.
(usually initial capital letter) a formal title used in addressing or mentioning a duke, duchess, or archbishop, and formerly also a sovereign (usually preceded by your, his, etc.).
Graces, Classical Mythology. the goddesses of beauty, daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, worshiped in Greece as the Charities and in Rome as the Gratiae.
Music. grace note.
to lend or add grace to; adorn:
Many fine paintings graced the rooms of the house.
Synonyms: embellish, beautify, deck, decorate, ornament; enhance, honor.
Antonyms: disfigure, desecrate, demean.
to favor or honor:
to grace an occasion with one’s presence.
Synonyms: glorify, elevate, exalt.
Antonyms: disrespect, dishonor.
but for the grace of God, under less fortunate circumstances:
But for the grace of God, the brick that just fell from the roof would have hit me on the head!
by the grace of God, thankfully; fortunately:
By the grace of God, I won’t have to deal with tax returns for another year.
fall from grace,

Theology. to relapse into sin or disfavor.
to lose favor; be discredited:
He fell from grace when the boss found out he had lied.

have the grace to, to be so kind as to:
Would you have the grace to help, please?
in someone’s good / bad graces, regarded with favor (or disfavor) by someone:
It is a wonder that I have managed to stay in her good graces this long.
with bad grace, reluctantly; grudgingly:
He apologized, but did so with bad grace.
Also, with a bad grace.
with good grace, willingly; ungrudgingly:
She took on the extra work with good grace.
William Russell, 1832–1904, U.S. financier and shipping magnate, born in Ireland: mayor of New York City 1880–88.
a female given name.
Contemporary Examples

Pope Francis’s Injunction to Get Back to Basics May Help American Christianity Joshua DuBois October 5, 2013
Don’t Do It, Chris! Matt Latimer September 29, 2011
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato’s Favorite World of Wonder Clips (VIDEO) Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato February 4, 2013
My Four Weddings Kara Swisher November 9, 2008
Monaco Princess’s Gilded Cage Tom Sykes July 1, 2011

Historical Examples

A Handful of Stars Frank W. Boreham
The Armourer’s Prentices Charlotte M. Yonge
Representative Plays by American Dramatists: 1856-1911: The New York Idea Langdon Mitchell
Grace Harlowe’s Return to Overton Campus Jessie Graham Flower
Letters of Samuel Rutherford Samuel Rutherford

noun
elegance and beauty of movement, form, expression, or proportion
a pleasing or charming quality
goodwill or favour
the granting of a favour or the manifestation of goodwill, esp by a superior
a sense of propriety and consideration for others
(pl)

affectation of manner (esp in the phrase airs and graces)
in someone’s good graces, regarded favourably and with kindness by someone

mercy; clemency
(Christianity)

the free and unmerited favour of God shown towards man
the divine assistance and power given to man in spiritual rebirth and sanctification
the condition of being favoured or sanctified by God
an unmerited gift, favour, etc, granted by God

a short prayer recited before or after a meal to invoke a blessing upon the food or give thanks for it
(music) a melodic ornament or decoration
See days of grace
with bad grace, with a bad grace, unwillingly or grudgingly
with good grace, with a good grace, willingly or cheerfully
verb
(transitive) to add elegance and beauty to: flowers graced the room
(transitive) to honour or favour: to grace a party with one’s presence
to ornament or decorate (a melody, part, etc) with nonessential notes
noun
preceded by your, his, or her. a title used to address or refer to a duke, duchess, or archbishop
noun
W(illiam) G(ilbert). 1848–1915, English cricketer
n.
v.

see:

fall from grace
in someone’s bad graces
in someone’s good graces
saving grace
say grace
there but for the grace of god
with good grace