Thank God

[0153] That's a relief

🎲 Dodged a bullet
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • A straightforward statement indicating that hearing some news or seeing a situation resolved has alleviated worry or stress.

Origin

  • Literal meaning: The information received provides 'relief' (the easing of anxiety, distress, or pain).
  • Developed naturally from the definition of the word 'relief'.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • What a relief. (Slightly more emphatic)
  • Phew. / Whew.
  • Thank God. / Thank goodness.
  • I'm glad to hear that.
  • That's good news.

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Sweet. (General expression of satisfaction/approval, can apply to relief)
  • Nice. (Similar to 'Sweet')

Milder:

  • Oh, good.
  • Glad that's sorted. (UK/Aus)

Situational Appropriateness

  • Appropriate in almost all situations, including formal and professional ones. It's clear, polite, and direct.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Very unlikely to be misunderstood. Its meaning is quite literal.

Examples

  • They found your missing luggage? Oh, that's a relief.
  • The tests came back negative. That's a relief.
  • So the meeting is postponed? That's a relief, I needed more time.

Dialogue

Person A: Hey, I managed to fix the bug in the code.

Person B: Oh, really? That's a relief! I thought we'd miss the deadline.

Person A: Me too. It took all night, but it's working now.

Social Media Examples

  • Comment on a news update: Update: The missing hiker has been found safe. -> Comment: Oh, that's a relief!
  • Replying to a friend's message: Friend: Hey, my exam results were better than expected! -> You: That's a relief! Well done!
  • Tweet: My presentation got moved to next week. Honestly? That's a relief. Gives me more time to prep. #WorkLife

Response Patterns

  • Agreement: Isn't it just? / Tell me about it. / Yeah, I was worried.
  • Acknowledgment: Yes, definitely. / Good news.
  • Offering more detail: Yeah, they called me this morning.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing That's a relief:

  • The person who shared the good news might elaborate: Yeah, I was starting to panic.
  • The conversation might move on, the relief having been acknowledged.

After saying That's a relief:

  • Might be followed by expressing the prior worry: That's a relief... I was really stressed about that.
  • Might ask for confirmation or details: That's a relief. Are you sure everything's okay now?

Conversation Starter

  • No. It's a response to information.

Intonation

  • Typically spoken with falling intonation.
  • Emphasis often falls on relief. That's a reLIEF.
  • Can also stress That's if contrasting with previous worry. THAT's a relief.
  • The tone conveys calmness resulting from eased anxiety.

Generation Differences

  • Used by all generations.

Regional Variations

  • Universal in English-speaking regions.
Thank God
🎲 Dodged a bullet