silver lining meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

silver lining

noun

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

Figuratively A favorable aspect or prospect of a mostly unfavorable event or situation.

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.1634, John Milton, Comus:
The only silver lining for businesses and local residents was that there was at least an end in sight, and that the new station, once built, would enhance the area and provide improved east-west access for pedestrians.2025 February 19, Chris Howe, “Euston: a work in progress”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 45:

Related terms: every cloud has a silver lining, every silver lining has a cloud, blessing in disguise, God works in mysterious ways, silver plate