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

A slight improvement in services sentiment provided a silver lining, as well as a drop in selling-price expectations, pointing to a slower transition of input costs into core inflation, Colijn notes.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The silver lining: While some of these these fallen stocks will emerge losers, some will turn out to be winners.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

His silver lining: “We’re starting to really appreciate those things.”

From Slate • May 8, 2026

The federal income-tax code can also offer a silver lining for people who can’t knock down their property-tax bill.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

There’s got to be a silver lining somewhere.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• bright side