ray of sunshine
- noun
- /reɪ ʌv ˈsʌnʃaɪn/
- Informal
- She is a bright ray of sunshine in my life, and I thoroughly enjoy our interactions and watching her grow.
- a little ray of sunshine
- just a ray of sunshine
- the only ray of sunshine
Hopefully, my visit brings a ray of sunshine to patients such as Gracie and revive their spirits.
- Hopefully, my visit brings a ray of sunshine to patients such as Gracie and revive their spirits.
- I'm so excited to have Ellie Kemper here, Kimmy Schmidt, because I, I believe that she is the ray of sunshine we all need right now.
- You are just a ray of sunshine and bring joy and happiness to absolutely everyone that you meet.
- This is a very cold and lonely place that just you reaching out to me, it was like a ray of sunshine.
- When I see a cloud, I look for a ray of sun to shine through that cloud, my ray of sunshine.
Examples
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Hopefully, my visit brings a ray of sunshine to patients such as Gracie and revive their spirits.
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You're a ray of sunshine in this... sea of clouds.
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A ray of sunshine on a dark day.
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You are just a ray of sunshine and bring joy and happiness to absolutely everyone that you meet.
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You're a ray of sunshine.
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She's just a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.
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He was a treat, an unexpected ray of sunshine on a gloomy day.
Fiction book (2002) -
No matter what you did, I was always happy to see my little ray of sunshine.
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Your visit was a ray of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day.
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With her bright eyes, chubby cheeks, and tentative smiles, Claire was a little ray of sunshine.
Synonyms
A cheerful feeling from a person that makes others feel happier
A person who brings warmth and hope to others
A person or thing that makes people feel happier
Something or someone that brings hope during a difficult time
Something that makes you feel happier
A person or thing that brings a lot of joy
A person or thing that brings joy and warmth to others
A person who is full of joy and makes other people happy
Antonyms
How Cheerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'ray' (a beam) and 'sunshine' (bright, cheerful light), so a B1 learner who knows those words can readily infer a figurative reading of someone who brings brightness or happiness. The light→happiness metaphor and the simple 'of' construction are cross-linguistically common, making the meaning compositional and immediately accessible.
Etymology
Ray of sunshine comes from the simple picture of a bright ray of sunshine falling into a dark room and making it warm and cheerful. So, calling someone a ray of sunshine means they bring 'happiness' and cheer to others.