aphorism

noun aph·o·rism \ ˈa-fə-ˌri-zəm \

|Updated on: 31 Jul 2018

Examples: aphorism in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of aphorism

1 : a concise statement of a principle

2 : a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment : adage

the high-minded aphorism, "Let us value the quality of life, not the quantity"

3 : an ingeniously terse style of expression : aphoristic language

These are dazzling chapters, packed with perfectly chosen anecdotes and pithy with aphorism.
—John Keegan

—

aphorist

play \-rist\ noun

—

aphoristic

play \ˌa-fə-ˈris-tik\ adjective

—

aphoristically

play \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See aphorism defined for English-language learners

See aphorism defined for kids

aphorism was our Word of the Day on 01/02/2009. Hear the podcast!

Examples of aphorism in a Sentence

Confronted by a broadminded, witty, and tolerant cosmopolitan, for whom the infinite varieties of human custom offered a source of inexhaustible fascination, Thucydides presented himself as a humorless nationalist, an intellectual given to political aphorisms and abstract generalizations. —Peter Green, New York Review of Books, 15 May 2008
It doesn't take long to learn that a lie always unravels and that it always ends up making you feel royally cruddy. "Do the kind of work during the day that allows you to sleep at night" was an aphorism my grandfather was fond of. —Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2006
The Sun twice went into journalism legend. Its city editor John Bogart is generally credited with the aphorism "When a dog bites a man, that's not news. But when a man bites a dog, that's news." And the paper delivered America's most treasured editorial in 1897, when a young girl, whose playmates had told her there was no Santa Claus, wrote and asked the Sun to tell her the truth. —Peter Andrews, American Heritage, October 1994
Truman is remembered as much today for his aphorisms as his policies: "The buck stops here," "If you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen," and the like. Such slogans are endearing in a time of plastic politicians who make a career of ducking responsibilities … —Ronald Steel, New Republic, 10 Aug. 1992
When decorating, remember the familiar aphorism, “less is more.”
what does the aphorism “Hindsight is 20/20” mean?

Recent Examples of aphorism from the Web

Yet business leaders who recall the French aphorism that nothing lasts like the provisional will be reassured by the white paper.

— The Economist, "Hard Brexit is unravelling," 28 June 2018
Almost immediately, Patience Worth began writing aphorisms and parables through the Ouija board.

— joy lanzendorfer, Longreads, "Ghost Writer: The Story of Patience Worth, the Posthumous Author," 14 June 2018
The legal aphorism has long been attributed to Sol Wachtler, former chief judge of New York’s Court of Appeals, based on a piece that appeared in the New York Daily News in January 1985.

— ben zimmer, WSJ, "‘Indict a Ham Sandwich’ Remains on the Menu for Judges, Prosecutors," 1 June 2018
The book is as much personal remembrance as strategic reflection, and is chock-full of aphorisms and enigmatic adages.

— victor davis hanson, New York Times, "When to Wage War, and How to Win: A Guide," 20 Apr. 2018
And when Kif holds him still and tries to gather facts, Heidl instead launches into wandering lectures on philosophy and humanity, quoting aphorisms and advising Kif on how to live his life.

— olen steinhauer, New York Times, "A Novel Based on the True Story of a Con Man and His Ghostwriter," 1 June 2018
After all, Dolores-cum-Wyatt was programmed by the likes of Robert Ford and Lee Sizemore, who write dialogue with the subtlety of Michael Bay and fashion aphorisms with the airs of Rupi Kaur.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Westworld: 'Everything Is Code'," 22 Apr. 2018
Sausages bearing the names of national oligarchs are draped over the garden fence, in an apparent nod to an old Hungarian aphorism that mocks the wealthy.

— The Economist, "The EU is tolerating—and enabling—authoritarian kleptocracy in Hungary," 5 Apr. 2018
But that simple aphorism played out in different, poignant ways for different characters throughout an episode that answered some questions, posed others and could prove to be deeply meaningful in the overall arc of the series.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "5 thoughts recapping Season 8, Episode 14 of 'The Walking Dead'," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aphorism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Aphorism was originally used in the world of medicine. Credit Hippocrates, the Greek physician regarded as the father of modern medicine, with influencing our use of the word. He used aphorismos (a Greek ancestor of aphorism meaning "definition" or "aphorism") in titling a book outlining his principles on the diagnosis and treatment of disease. That volume offered many examples that helped to define aphorism, beginning with the statement that starts the book's introduction: "Life is short, Art long, Occasion sudden and dangerous, Experience deceitful, and Judgment difficult." English speakers originally used the term mainly in the realm of the physical sciences, but eventually broadened its use to cover principles in other fields.

Origin and Etymology of aphorism

Middle French aphorisme, from Late Latin aphorismus, from Greek aphorismos definition, aphorism, from aphorizein to define, from apo- + horizein to bound — more at horizon

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1528

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year