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Glite Dictionary
to see daylight

to see daylight

1 5.8
To begin to feel hope after a long hard time
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : ver la luz
  • I see daylight already in Mitt Romney's changed position.

Examples

Synonyms

to dawn
vsto see daylight
57 3.6

To begin to be understood and become clear

includes a hopeful feeling as well as gaining clarity after difficulty
to see the light
vsto see daylight
  • Informal
55 5.0

To understand something important and change for the better

is more about finding hope or clarity after a difficult or confusing period
light at the end of the tunnel
vsto see daylight
  • Informal
17 3.9

A sign that a hard time will soon end or get better

is a personal sense of hope or clarity after difficulty
to look bright
vsto see daylight
6 3.4

Seem likely to do well or get better

is specifically a felt sense of hope after a hard or confusing time
to see the glass half-full
vsto see daylight
  • Informal
1 4.1

To focus on the good parts of a situation instead of the bad

applies to sudden hope or clarity felt after specific hard experiences

Antonyms

to despair
44 4.1

To lose all hope

How Hopeful

optimism
209 2.8
hope
∞ 1.0
to see daylight
  • Informal
1 5.8
doubt
∞ 1.6
despair
210 3.5

Surface Forms

see daylight infinitive
seeing daylight present participle
sees daylight third person singular
saw daylight past
seen daylight past participle

Morphology

see + daylight

The verb 'see' (perceive) combined with 'daylight' (literal light of day) yields a metaphor of finding clarity or an escape, so a learner who knows the constituents can often infer a general sense of 'finding clarity' or 'a way out'. However, the mapping from physical daylight to abstract hope/relief is metaphorical and culturally mediated, so the precise idiomatic sense may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The verb see daylight comes from a simple image: after being in darkness or a long tunnel, finally seeing daylight meant you were out of trouble. So, to see daylight now means 'to feel hope or find a clear way forward'.