No news is good news is an idiom with roots in a phrase written 400 years ago. We will examine the meaning of the common saying no news is good news, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences.
No news is good news is a roundabout way of saying that if you have not been told that something bad has happened, then nothing bad has happened. If nothing bad has happened, that is good. So no news is good news. King James I of England is credited with first expressing this sentiment in his writings in 1616: “No news is better than evil news.” The idiom no news is good news was extrapolated from this phrase within 30 years.
Examples
No news is good news for pound pinned near $1.29 (Reuters)
It’s often said that no news is good news and that especially holds true for an election. (Worcester Telegram)
No news is good news, at least when it comes to the reopening of the city’s popular greenbelts. (Austin American-Statesman)
It may not be “no” news, but it’s close enough to say that no news is good news when it comes to the 17th annual Swim Teal Lake for Diabetes event. (Marquette Mining Journal)