Grail
n.hopeful, capableliterary
What it means
A supremely desirable but difficult goal or discovery.
Reach for it when describing a long pursuit whose importance and elusiveness are both real
A safe, affordable battery remains the field's grail.
Choose between these
7- warm
personal hope matters more than strategic precision
not when Dream can remain imaginary and may not guide serious work.
- warm
long-sought prize
years of effort make attainment feel rewarding
not when Prize implies a winner or reward rather than a discovery.
- professional
a decisive discovery removes a known barrier
not when Breakthrough is the event or result, whereas a grail can remain unfound.
- professional
elusive goal
difficulty of attainment deserves explicit emphasis
not when Elusive goal lacks the cultural and near-sacred weight of grail.
- professional
ultimate goal
plain language should name the highest objective
not when Ultimate goal may be fully achievable and lacks the grail's elusiveness.
- literary
the highest achieved point is what matters
not when Pinnacle usually names a summit already reached, not an object of pursuit.
- literary
great value and the romance of searching are central
not when Treasure may be material; it lacks the sense of an ultimate goal.
Said against
3- dead end
- distraction
- consolation prize
It naturally appears in
3- holy grail
A recyclable adhesive is the holy grail of the current materials program.
- elusive grail
The elusive grail drew new teams into the research challenge.
- seek the grail
Engineers seek the grail without promising when it will arrive.
Where this comes from
Grail draws on a Christian and Arthurian sacred object and can overstate an ordinary product goal.
- Wiktionary, English figurative noun sense: eagerly pursued ultimate goal opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.