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Glite Dictionary
silver age

silver age

7.5
A period of strong achievement in art or culture that is less than a golden age
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪlvər eɪdʒ/
  • Literature
translation icon : edad de plata
  • During the silver age of literature, many influential writers emerged, contributing to the richness of the cultural landscape.

Examples

  • But neither the golden nor the silver age of Russian culture emanated from rural communities.

    Academic text (1992)

  • A silver age of heroism... that will start when they look up into the sky at you... with hope for tomorrow.

    Blog text (3)

  • The team's championship victory marks a new silver age for the local soccer club, filled with hope for future achievements.

  • Experts agree that the 1970s represented a silver age of innovation in the film industry, producing many classic movies.

Antonyms

golden age
26 4.1

A time when a country, the arts, or a person has great success

How Great

golden age
26 4.1
silver age
  • Literature
7.5
Bronze Age
9 3.9

Surface Forms

silver age singular
silver ages plural

Morphology

silver + age

The compound is built from readily interpretable constituents: 'silver' (denoting second-place or lesser rank) plus 'age' (a period), so a learner can infer it means a notable period that is inferior to a 'golden age'. However, the evaluative nuance and literary/mythological usage (specific conventional meaning) may not be fully predictable without exposure, so the transparency is partial.

Etymology

Silver age comes from old stories that divide history into metal 'ages'. After the perfect golden age, the silver age was a later time that was still good but not as great, so today it means a very good time, but not the very best.