Meanings
plural lights at the end of the tunnel
- countableidiomaticuncountableA better situation after long hardship.
If there is no light at the end of the tunnel, chronic pain can render a person dysfunctional. In desperation, people often turn to potent pain-killing medication for relief.
1999, Abraham J Twerski, It's Not As Tough As You Think: How to Smooth Out Life's Bumps1 more example
But by fall 2005, there was light at the end of the tunnel. The team could see the new business processes and financial data governance mechanisms actually being used by Nationwide employees.
2008 January 15, CIO, volume 21, number 7 - countableuncountableA vision of a bright light, surrounded by darkness, seen by a dying person
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 柳暗花明
- 柳暗花明 (liǔ'ànhuāmíng)a better situation after long hardship
Czech světlo na konci tunelu
- světlo na konci tunelua better situation after long hardship
Finnish valopilkku
- valopilkkua better situation after long hardship
French bout du tunnel, voir le bout du tunnel
- bout du tunnela better situation after long hardship
- voir le bout du tunnela better situation after long hardship
- la lumière au bout du tunnela better situation after long hardship
German Licht am Ende des Tunnels
- Licht am Ende des Tunnelsa better situation after long hardship
Greek φως στο τούνελ
- φως στο τούνελ (fos sto toúnel)a better situation after long hardship
Hungarian fény az alagút végén
- fény az alagút végéna better situation after long hardship
Italian luce in fondo al tunnel
- luce in fondo al tunnela better situation after long hardship
Norwegian Bokmål lys i enden av tunnelen
- lys i enden av tunnelena better situation after long hardship
Polish światełko w tunelu
- światełko w tunelua better situation after long hardship
Portuguese a luz no fim do túnel
- a luz no fim do túnela better situation after long hardship
Russian свет в конце́ тонне́ля
- свет в конце́ тонне́ля (svet v koncé tonnélja)a better situation after long hardship
Spanish luz al final del túnel
- luz al final del túnela better situation after long hardship
Swedish ljuset i tunneln
- ljuset i tunnelna better situation after long hardship
Cite this entry
light at the end of the tunnel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20tunnel
“light at the end of the tunnel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20tunnel. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “light at the end of the tunnel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20tunnel.
Source: light at the end of the tunnel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.