silver lining
43
3.5
- noun
- /ˈsɪlvər ˈlaɪnɪŋ/
- Informal
- The accident was unfortunate, but the silver lining was that it brought the community closer together.
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Watch on YouTubeAnd that was the silver lining that came out of COVID.
- And that was the silver lining that came out of COVID.
- So it's this that's the positive silver lining of of COVID.
- By the way, there's a there is a slight silver lining, not much, but a slight one.
- And I'm still looking for the silver lining from last from a week ago.
- A year of no complaints, only taking actions, finding Silver Linings or letting things go.
- But the silver lining is now I'm involved with some some health things.
- I'm not going to have money for months, but there is silver lining if you look hard enough.
- It is every cloud has a silver lining.
- So it's those little beautiful Silver Linings and all of this that give you hope for humanity, no doubt.
- There are so many potential Silver Linings to this.
- But weaknesses also have Silver Linings.
- I'm trying to I'm trying to give myself a silver lining here.
Examples
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Within every cloud, there's a silver lining.
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Hope: But remember, every cloud has a silver lining, and tomorrow is a new day.
Fiction book (2001) -
So that is my kind of silver lining of hope and all of this.
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You can still find like the good and the silver lining of that, which is cool.
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There is, however, a silver lining.
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If there is any silver lining to the bad news,
Academic text (1995) -
Still, there may yet be a silver lining for the economy.
Blog text (11) -
And that was the silver lining that came out of COVID.
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You have to look for whatever silver linings you can find in a situation like this, I think.
Blog text (13) -
We look for the silver lining in a situation or the benefit in an otherwise imperfect plan.
Academic text (2006)
Synonyms
102
3.8
Something that makes you feel better after loss or disappointment
91
3.4
A positive or hopeful part of a hard situation
79
3.5
A good part of a situation or choice
9
3.6
A result that is good or wanted
Antonyms
How Positive
- Informal
- Informal
43
3.5
- Informal
91
3.4
- Informal
79
3.5
38
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
silver + lining
The constituents 'silver' (something bright/valuable) and 'lining' (an inner edge or layer) give a clear visual metaphor of a bright edge around something negative, so a learner could plausibly infer there is a positive aspect connected to a bad situation. However, the idiomatic use as 'a hopeful aspect in adversity' depends on metaphorical/cultural knowledge (the proverb) and is not fully predictable from the words alone, making it only partially transparent.
Etymology
Silver lining comes from a simple sky image: when the sun shines behind a dark cloud you often see a bright, shiny edge like a silver lining. So it now means 'a small good thing in a bad situation'.