silver lining

English

Etymology

Originating in John Milton's poem “Comus”; see 1634 quotation. The proverb every cloud has a silver lining is an allusion to the relevant passage.

Noun

silver lining (plural silver linings)

1. (figurative) A favorable aspect or prospect of a mostly unfavorable event or situation.
   • 1634, John Milton, Comus:

     Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud / Turn forth her silver lining on the night? / I did not err: there does a sable cloud / Turn forth her silver lining on the night, / And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.

Synonyms

• (good aspect): bright side

Antonyms

• downside
• drawback
• worm in the apple

Related terms

• every cloud has a silver lining
• every silver lining has a cloud

Translations

a good aspect of a mostly bad event

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Cornish: amal arghans m
• Czech: světlá stránka f, paprsek naděje m, světlo na konci tunelu (cs) n
• Finnish: hopeareunus
• Galician: lado bo m
• German: Silberstreif (de) m, Silberstreifen (de) m, Lichtblick (de) m, gute Seite f
• Hungarian: jó oldala (literally “its good side”)
• Italian: risvolto positivo m
• Polish: światełko w tunelu n
• Portuguese: lado bom
• Romanian: no equivalent term in Romanian, but see parte bună, aspect pozitiv
• Russian: луч наде́жды m (luč nadéždy), хорошая новость (xorošaja novostʹ), све́тлая сторона́ f (svétlaja storoná)
• Spanish: lado positivo m
• Swedish: ljuspunkt c, ljusglimt (sv) c
• Thai: ฟ้าหลังฝน (fáa lăng fŏn)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 새옹지마(塞翁之馬) (ko) (sae'ongjima)

See also

• blessing in disguise
• God works in mysterious ways