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

Miami’s two best drives — the one to just before halftime and other late in the fourth quarter capped by Coleman’s score — were when their proverbial back appeared against the wall. — Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026

Entering the matchup with Indiana, Jeremiah Smith was the proverbial leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman Trophy. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026

At the twenty-seventh annual New Yorker Festival, the flame-haired former late-night host Conan O’Brien swapped sides of the proverbial desk with the magazine’s editor, David Remnick. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026

But the proverbial dam broke Week 7, against Tampa Bay, and then again Week 8 against the Packers. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 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