DictionaryAI

in light of

idiom

2 meanings of in light of

Practice

  1. 1
    idiom
    Because of something, or as a direct result of it.

    In light of the fire damage, the festival was moved to a different venue.

    Ticket prices rose sharply in light of higher fuel costs.

    Similargiven, following

    Note

    Here the phrase slides from weighing to causing. The circumstance is no longer something to take into account but the reason something happened, as with a singer who stepped away from her career in light of her health woes. A quick test is to substitute because of. If that reads naturally, this is the sense at work, not the "considering" meaning.

  2. 2
    idiomAustraliaCanadaUS
    Taking particular facts or circumstances into account when judging or deciding.

    In light of the new evidence, the committee revised its recommendation.

    Her decision seems reasonable in light of the pressures she was facing.

    Similarconsidering, given

    Note

    An Australian, Canadian and American way of framing a judgment, probably trimmed from the fuller in the light of. It introduces whatever should shape how something is weighed: evidence, circumstances, a history. It is often sharpened by especially. Roy Posner (2015) lets the buried metaphor wake up when he judges an institution especially in light of the darkness that preceded it.

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Origin

This phrase probably developed from the older expression "in the light of."