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grail

[greyl] / greɪl /
NOUN
sacred vessel
Synonyms
STRONG
chalice cup
WEAK
holy dish

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for grail?
A grail is a type of cup, chalice, goblet, or vessel. But the word is almost always used to mean the Holy Grail or a holy grail. When capitalized, Holy Grail (or just Grail) refers to the cup that according to medieval legend was used by Jesus at the Last Supper. Due to legends about the cup’s supposed powers, it became the subject of quests by knights who hoped to locate it, including the legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. (A somewhat similar legend is that of El Dorado, the legendary city of gold and treasure sought by Spanish colonizers.) This sense of Holy Grail and Grail eventually came to be used (often in lowercase) in a metaphorical way to refer to any greatly desired and sought-after objective, reward, item, or ultimate ideal. For example, a particularly rare book may be called the holy grail of rare book collecting, or winning the World Cup may be called the holy grail of soccer (football). Such things are often described as highly sought-after. A person’s ultimate desire may be called their grail. A similar term is heart’s desire. Similar but less idiomatic terms are ultimate prize and ultimate goal.
Why is the Holy Grail called a grail?
The word grail comes from a Medieval Latin word gradālis, meaning “platter.” At some point, medieval legends started to use the image of a cup (as opposed to a bowl, platter, or other vessel).

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

AGI is short for artificial general intelligence, the holy grail in the AI world.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026

Nature produces few truly blue plants and minerals, making blue the holy grail of natural food dyes, said Paul Manning, chief executive of dye manufacturer Sensient Technologies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

She recently found the holy grail of shirts for her - the Super Furry Animals-sponsored Cardiff City shirt - a legendary piece of Welsh football and music history.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

"For more than twenty years, a high-pulse-energy femtosecond laser on chip was widely regarded as a holy grail of integrated photonics," says Kippenberg.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026

I opened my grail diary and located my original notes on how to solve Zork.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Vocabulary lists containing grail

Solo

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Novel Study: The Great Gatsby, Chapters 7–9

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Ready Player One

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