undersong of hope
- noun
- Literature
- The poem expresses sorrow, yet an undersong of hope can be sensed throughout its verses.
Examples
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Even in his darkest moments, he was carried by an undersong of hope.
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Although times were tough, an undersong of hope ran through the community.
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There is an undersong of hope in her words.
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Many people felt an undersong of hope during the tough times.
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Even in her struggles, a subtle undersong of hope persisted within her heart.
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Despite the challenges they faced, an undersong of hope united the team in their efforts.
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The film depicted despair, but an undersong of hope resonated in the characters' journeys.
Synonyms
A feeling that something good will happen
A tendency to expect good results and see the positive side of things
Feeling hopeful and expecting a good result
A feeling that good things will happen
A cheerful, confident feeling about the future
Antonyms
How Hopeful
- Literature
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase combines 'undersong' (an underlying soft theme) with 'of hope' to specify its content, so the overall meaning — an underlying feeling of optimism — is directly derivable from the parts. The construction follows a regular noun + of + noun pattern and 'undersong' is itself transparently built from 'under' + 'song', so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should infer the meaning.
Etymology
Undersong of hope paints the picture of a quiet song playing under louder sounds. One popular image is that this soft tune quietly gives people strength, so the phrase means a hidden feeling of 'optimism'.