proverbial

adjective

pro·​ver·​bi·​al prə-ˈvər-bē-əl How to pronounce proverbial (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb
2
: that has become a proverb or byword : commonly spoken of
the proverbial smoking gun
proverbially adverb

Examples of proverbial in a Sentence

Insanity roamed through her large midwestern tribe, cloistered in proverbial dark closets in gabled houses in areas of the country where no one else lived for miles and miles … Lynne Tillman, Motion Sickness, 1991
I keep running across people who speak fondly about what they imagine to be the comforts of autocracy, who long for the assurances of the proverbial man on the white horse likely to do something hard and puritanical about the moral relativism that has made a mess of the cities, the schools, and prime-time television. Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, November 1990
Recent Examples on the Web The Hollywood star, whose proverbial big break was the 1994 horror film Interview with the Vampire, splashed out a cool $3 million for the eighth-floor aerie back in 2007, The New York Post first reported. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024 Trevor Hughes: This is a satellite that will measure methane emissions from oil and gas wells, from landfills, even from the proverbial cow farts that people tend to get upset about. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 Ten years ago, Jeffries was the man in the proverbial ring, hired to bring a professional soccer team back to the Queen City. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2024 So why must climbing the proverbial career ladder be a straight line upwards? Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Accounting and tax: Any business considering a sale over the next five years should start getting their proverbial house in order. Allen Buchanan, Orange County Register, 24 Feb. 2024 Manipulating sleep might be a new route out of the proverbial forest—whether the affliction is nightmares or a problem with mood, memory or even motor skills. Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024 The Apollo moon landings from 1969 to 1972 became a paradigm for a colossal program that tackled a problem nearly impossible to solve with a near-limitless budget — the proverbial moonshot — while CLPS seeks to harness the enthusiasm and ingenuity of start-up entrepreneurs. Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 More than relief of sheer drudgery, that AI can help research topics and fill in the proverbial blanks means less friction for a disabled person in terms of cognitive load and motor skills. Steven Aquino, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proverbial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see proverb entry 1

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of proverbial was in 1548

Dictionary Entries Near proverbial

Cite this Entry

“Proverbial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proverbial. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

proverbial

adjective
pro·​ver·​bi·​al prə-ˈvər-bē-əl How to pronounce proverbial (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb
proverbial wisdom
2
: commonly spoken of
the proverbial beginner's luck
proverbially adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on proverbial

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!