{"id":2876,"date":"2022-04-15T18:47:03","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T18:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=2876"},"modified":"2022-04-15T18:47:03","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T18:47:03","slug":"take-for-granted-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/take-for-granted-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Take for Granted - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to tell someone they should be grateful for what they have? If so, you could say to them that they take things \u201cfor granted<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of the expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201ctake for granted<\/em>\u201d means that you previously paid no regard or gratitude to something critically important in your life. It means to dramatically underestimate the value of someone or something, and it applies to the first and second person.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For instance, you could admit that you take things for granted or tell someone that they take something for granted. It may also mean to believe in a statement as truthful without researching it to see if it is a fact or fake news.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

When using \u201ctake for granted,\u201d it\u2019s common for people to restructure the idiom to fit the sentence and meaning of what they are trying to communicate.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone always tells us how great the weather is here when they arrive. We live here, so we take the weather for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in the richest country in the world. From the way the population chooses to squander theirs, it\u2019s clear we take that for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to take my girlfriend for granted until she decided to walk out the door and never return. Now, I wish I did more for her when we were together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like this company takes me for granted. I brought in over $11-million in sales last year, and I didn\u2019t even get a bonus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I moved overseas, and my social life went in the gutter, I realized I take my friends back home for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Origin<\/h2>\n

Language experts are unclear about the origin of the saying, \u201ctake for granted.\u201d However, if we look at the components of the phrase, we see that the word \u201cgrant\u201d originates from the term \u201cgrant.\u201d \u201cGrant\u201d means to \u201cacknowledge,\u201d and its first use was in the 14th century.<\/p>\n

Experts believe that the earliest use of the phrase appears in the 16th century. At the time, the expression \u201cTaking for granted\u201d meant expressing blind faith in an ideology or religion. By the early to mid-16th century, the saying appeared in several texts.<\/p>\n

Towards the latter half of the 16th century, the saying took on its more modern meaning of an adverse connotation. The meaning shifted to describing someone making a judgment without using critical thinking skills to define to process.<\/p>\n

By the 20th century, people started using the expression to describe underappreciation toward people and ideologies.<\/p>\n