silver lining

American  

noun

1. a sign of hope in an unfortunate or gloomy situation; a bright prospect.

   Every cloud has a silver lining.

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silver lining British  

noun

1. a comforting or hopeful aspect of an otherwise desperate or unhappy situation (esp in the phrase every cloud has a silver lining )

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silver lining Idioms  

1. An element of hope or a redeeming quality in an otherwise bad situation, as in The rally had a disappointing turnout, but the silver lining was that those who came pledged a great deal of money. This metaphoric term is a shortening of Every cloud has a silver lining, in turn derived from John Milton's Comus (1634): “A sable cloud turns forth its silver lining on the night.”

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Usage

What does silver lining mean? A silver lining is a sign of hope or a positive aspect in an otherwise negative situation.The phrase is often seen as part of the proverb Every cloud has a silver lining, meaning that there’s hope or something good to be found in every bad situation. In real life, when a cloud looks like its edges are shining and silvery, it’s because the sun is behind it. That’s the metaphor: things are cloudy (bad), but they will get sunny (positive) again—or you can least enjoy the one shiny (positive) part in all the gloominess.Example: Getting your tonsils out is a bummer, but there’s a silver lining—you get to eat a lot of ice cream afterward.

Etymology

Origin of silver lining

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

China's factory activity ticked up slightly in December, official data showed Wednesday, an unexpected silver lining to cap an otherwise lacklustre end to the year for the world's second-largest economy.

From Barron's

Official data showed factory activity in China ticked up slightly in December, a silver lining to an otherwise lacklustre end to the year for the world's second-largest economy.

From Barron's

“The silver lining for consumers is there have never been better deals on great wine than today,” said Rob McMillan, founder of the wine division at Silicon Valley Bank.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s frustrating that he gets away with this, but there’s a silver lining.

From Salon

Another silver lining is the production capacity for lithium-ion batteries that Ford has amassed.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bright side