proverbial

adjective

pro·​ver·​bi·​al prə-ˈvər-bē-əl 

1

: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb

2

: that has become a proverb or byword : commonly spoken of

the proverbial smoking gun

proverbially

prə-ˈvər-bē-ə-lē 

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

And less than 24 hours later, the NFL dropped the proverbial hammer on Greenlaw. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Just before she’s kicked to the proverbial curb, however, she’s offered a hefty publishing advance to finish Verity Crawford’s (Anne Hathaway) bestselling book series after a car accident left the renowned author bedridden. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 6 Oct. 2026

Click here for the proverbial fancy form, or shoot me an email. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026

The former marketing employee opted to write her own copy for the listing but appreciated running her words past the AI as another pair of proverbial eyes. — Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see proverb entry 1

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for proverbial

• adverbial

Kids Definition

proverbial

adjective

pro·​ver·​bi·​al prə-ˈvər-bē-əl 

1

: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb

proverbial wisdom

2

: commonly spoken of

the proverbial beginner's luck

proverbially

-bē-ə-lē 

adverb