sunny side
Americannoun
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the part upon which sunlight falls.
the sunny side of the house.
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a pleasant or hopeful aspect or part.
the sunny side of life.
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some age less than one specified.
You're still on the sunny side of thirty.
noun
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the cheerful aspect or point of view
look on the sunny side of things
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informal younger than (a specified age)
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The pleasant or cheerful aspect of something, as in Beth always sees the sunny side of events like graduations . This idiom alludes to the area on which sunlight falls. [First half of 1800s]
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on the sunny side of . At an age less than, younger than, as in He's still on the sunny side of forty . [Second half of 1800s]
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sunny-side up . Fried so that the yolk remains intact and uppermost, as in I ordered my eggs sunny-side up and you brought me scrambled eggs . This expression transfers the appearance of the sun to that of an egg yolk. [c. 1900]
Etymology
Origin of sunny side
First recorded in 1825–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Babitz, by contrast, saw things sunny side up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
With a holiday-shortened week and a heat wave upon much of the country, investors are primed to look on the sunny side.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Affirming that is “The AI Doc”’s proposal that the sunny side of artificial intelligence’s sales pitch is probably too seductive.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2026
Make sure you close the windows on the sunny side of your home, to keep out hot air.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2024
There were wild strawberries growing on the sunny side of the ridge in a little clearing in the trees.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
