gnomic

adjective

gno·​mic ˈnō-mik How to pronounce gnomic (audio)
1
: characterized by aphorism
gnomic utterances
2
: given to the composition of gnomic writing
a gnomic poet

Did you know?

A gnome is an aphorism—that is, an observation or sentiment reduced to the form of a saying. Gnomes are sometimes couched in metaphorical or figurative language, they are often quite clever, and they are always concise. We borrowed the word gnome in the 16th century from the Greeks, who based their gnome on the verb gignōskein, meaning "to know." (The other gnome—referring to the dwarf of folklore—comes from New Latin and is unrelated to the aphoristic gnome.) We began using gnomic, the adjective form of gnome, in the late 18th century. It describes a style of writing, or sometimes speech, characterized by pithy phrases, which are often terse to the point of mysteriousness.

Examples of gnomic in a Sentence

He made gnomic utterances concerning death.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Messiah is a collection of gnomic scriptural passages that are prophetic in import but offer no story at all. Jan Swafford, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024 The Mathematical Pranksters behind Nicolas Bourbaki Bourbaki was gnomic and mythical, impossible to pin down; his mathematics just the opposite: unified, unambiguous, free of human idiosyncrasy. JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024 For him, even talking about the show, analyzing its secret sauce, is offered up with a certain gnomic reticence. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 June 2024 Although this terse and gnomic message was hardly the stuff of congratulations, Biden père—as Vice-President, and as America’s anti-corruption point man in Kyiv—might have altered the course of recent U.S. history simply by telling his son no. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for gnomic 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek gnōmikós "dealing in maxims, didactic," from gnṓmē "maxim" + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at gnome entry 1

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gnomic was in 1784

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near gnomic

Cite this Entry

“Gnomic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnomic. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!