adage

noun

ad·​age ˈa-dij 

: a saying often in metaphorical form that typically embodies a common observation

She reminded him of the adage: "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Synonyms of adage

• proverb
• saying
• word
• maxim

Examples of adage in a Sentence

that old adage, “the early bird gets the worm”

Recent Examples on the Web

The old woodworking adage suggests measuring twice to cut once—there’s even a Russian version that argues for measuring seven times. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026

The old adage in soccer is that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous in the game. —Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026

She’s grown wise during her absence, sharing in this smoldering, ‘90s-redolent track that some bridges are worth burning, despite the adage. —Melinda Newman, Billboard, 16 Mar. 2026

It’s often said that age is just a number, and a new Netflix reality dating series will soon put the old adage to the test by taking age entirely out of the courting equation. —Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Latin adagiō, adagium, from ad- ad- + ag-, base of aiō, āiō "(I) say" (going back to *ag-i̯ō, going back to an Indo-European verb stem *h₂eǵ-i̯e- "say") + -ium, deverbal noun suffix; akin to Greek ê "(s/he) spoke," án-ōga "(I) command," Armenian asem "(I) say," Tocharian B āks- "announce, proclaim"

Note: The Latin form is possibly adāgiō; the lack of vowel reduction in the second syllable is otherwise unexplained. Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin (Brill, 2008), believes that the base is not aiō, but rather adigō, "I drive/thrust/plunge into, force, impel." Semantically, this is not compelling, and does not in any case solve the problem of the second syllable. On the other hand, the lack of attestation for aiō with any prefixes aside from this noun is striking.

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

adage

noun

ad·​age ˈad-ij 

: an old familiar saying : proverb