Upside

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈʌpˌsaɪd/

Definitions

1. The positive aspect or advantage of a situation, or the upper surface or side of something
2. The upper or top surface of an object, or a potentially favorable outcome or benefit that may result from an otherwise negative situation
3. A beneficial aspect or advantage in a situation is identified, as well as the uppermost surface of an object or entity

Etymology: "Upside" is a plain compound of "up" and "side," with no borrowing from another language. Its most interesting feature is the way the sense has moved from physical position to abstract evaluation. "Up" and "side" both come from Old English roots, so the word was built entirely from native English material. The noun sense "positive side" grew out of the older literal meaning, the upper surface of something, as in the upside of a tabletop or a card lying face up. From there it was extended figuratively to mean the favourable aspect of a situation, the "up" of a balance sheet or a set of circumstances. The metaphor treats good outcomes as higher than bad ones, the same logic behind phrases like "looking up" or "on the up." The opposite term, "downside," follows the same pattern, so the two words are best understood as a matched pair that turns a physical vertical into a judgment about gain and loss.

Synonyms: advantage, benefit, upturn, prospect, positive

Antonyms: downside, disadvantage, negative