grain of salt
noun phrase
variants
or less commonly pinch of salt
: a skeptical attitude
—used in the phrase take (something) with a grain/pinch of salt
I take the guidebooks with a grain of salt, preferring to follow my instincts.—
Daisann McLane
Daisann McLaneThe malleability of memory … is the first reason why autobiographies should be taken with a grain of salt.—Judith Rich Harris
Judith Rich HarrisExamples of grain of salt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Becky took with a grain of salt the dire prognoses.
—Scott Craven, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2025
While the president is considering reigniting his trade war, investors say markets are taking it with a grain of salt.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
But those claims should be taken with a grain of salt, according to Andrew Rabinovich, the head of AI and machine learning at online freelancer marketplace Upwork.
—John Kell, Fortune, 2 July 2025
Of course, a grain of salt is required, but the Canadiens were genuinely excited to see him still on the board at the end of Day 1 and moved swiftly to get him early on Day 2.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grain of salt
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Scott Craven, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2025
While the president is considering reigniting his trade war, investors say markets are taking it with a grain of salt.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
But those claims should be taken with a grain of salt, according to Andrew Rabinovich, the head of AI and machine learning at online freelancer marketplace Upwork.
—John Kell, Fortune, 2 July 2025
Of course, a grain of salt is required, but the Canadiens were genuinely excited to see him still on the board at the end of Day 1 and moved swiftly to get him early on Day 2.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grain of salt
Cite this Entry
“Grain of salt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grain%20of%20salt. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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