as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
her mother endlessly repeated the apothegm "cleanliness is next to godliness"
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for apothegm
Noun
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What does the phrase squeaky bum time, the racehorse Devon Loch, and the Portuguese proverb ‘morrer na prais’ all have in common?
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The rooms The old Japanese proverb ‘*kachou fuugetsu’—*which translates as ‘flower, bird, wind, moon’ evoking a sense of the transient beauty of nature—is a key concept at the hotel.
Noun
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Like the saying goes, hurt relieves hurt.
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Many families have their own remedies for treating these pesky bites—but as the old saying goes, prevention is better than the cure.
Noun
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When word spread that Swift attended Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley's 2023 wedding on the New Jersey shore, hundreds of fans and photographers descended on the quiet beach community.
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Review a bill, then send a polite message that clarifies terms, because simple words protect value and invite respectful responses.
Noun
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By greatly expanding the dimensions of his images, with their muted palettes, tight cropping, found symmetries, and laconic wit, had the maestro of the photographic epigram betrayed his subtractive aesthetic?
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Johnson is the author of the epigrams, but Boswell is very much the co-author.
Noun
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In romance, Tolstoy’s aphorism about the family is reversed.
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The statement is one among many hard-hitting aphorisms that ring devastatingly true for the state of our current world, as late-stage capitalism widens the gap between haves and have-nots, creating unsustainable conditions for millions of people.
Cite this Entry
“Apothegm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apothegm. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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