silver lining

noun

1. a sign of hope in an unfortunate or gloomy situation; a bright prospect.

   Every cloud has a silver lining.

silver lining

noun

1. a comforting or hopeful aspect of an otherwise desperate or unhappy situation (esp in the phrase every cloud has a silver lining )

Word History and Origins

Origin of silver lining¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Idioms and Phrases

An element of hope or a redeeming quality in an otherwise bad situation, as in The rally had a disappointing turnout, but the silver lining was that those who came pledged a great deal of money. This metaphoric term is a shortening of Every cloud has a silver lining, in turn derived from John Milton's Comus (1634): “A sable cloud turns forth its silver lining on the night.”

Example Sentences

But if there's a silver lining to City's start to the season, it's that Haaland appears back to his best.

From BBC

There’s a faint silver lining for Texas Democrats facing gerrymandered districts: They could forge new careers, and energize the base, by pursuing statewide office.

From Salon

The only silver lining: The Dodgers overcame similar struggles last year, doing just enough down the stretch to win the division and march all the way to an unlikely championship.

From Los Angeles Times

“And so that’s the silver lining — seeing how sweet and how good people want to be.”

From Los Angeles Times

“So we will find that silver lining, keep fighting, and even though we know these will keep coming until policymakers push us in a different direction, we’re up to that fight.”

From Salon

Related Words

• bright side 

When To Use

What does silver lining mean?

A silver lining is a sign of hope or a positive aspect in an otherwise negative situation.The phrase is often seen as part of the proverb Every cloud has a silver lining, meaning that there’s hope or something good to be found in every bad situation. In real life, when a cloud looks like its edges are shining and silvery, it’s because the sun is behind it. That’s the metaphor: things are cloudy (bad), but they will get sunny (positive) again—or you can least enjoy the one shiny (positive) part in all the gloominess.Example: Getting your tonsils out is a bummer, but there’s a silver lining—you get to eat a lot of ice cream afterward.