proverbial

adjective pro·ver·bi·al \ prə-ˈvər-bē-əl \

Definition of proverbial

1 :of, relating to, or resembling a proverb

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

the proverbial smoking gun

—

proverbially

play \-ə-lē\ adverb

See proverbial defined for English-language learners

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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 of proverbial from the Web

Consider this the shot across your proverbial bow. ...

— Washington Post, "With a friendly president and Congress, NRA targets media," 28 Aug. 2017
The $5 billion-a-year wound care business booms while some products might prove little more effective than the proverbial snake oil.

— marisa taylor, Kaiser Health News, "When Wounds Won’t Heal, Therapies Spread — To The Tune Of $5 Billion," 3 Aug. 2017
The adults in the proverbial room, the people who understand that simply flouting convention is not refreshing but destabilizing, are (inevitably, at long last) filling the vacuum.

— peter savodnik, The Hive, "The Strange Silver Lining in the Trump-Putin Affair," 1 Aug. 2017
With the proverbial seed planted, Veeder decided to launch a beauty company—

— vanityfair.com, "Beauty Buzz: Botanical Skincare Brand Farmacy Dips into Honey," 14 July 2017
This was his attempt to persuade Islam that a president of the United States, no less, now uniquely stood astride the East–West divide with a proverbial foot in both America and the Middle East.

— victor davis hanson, National Review, "Trump’s Anti-Cairo Speech," 11 July 2017
As Blue rapped, she’s never seen a proverbial ceiling in her whole young life, so who’s gonna put one in her way now?

— dee lockett, The Cut, "Please Let Blue Ivy Open Jay-Z’s 4:44 Tour," 10 July 2017
Today, there are a handful who gladly carry the proverbial jam-band torch.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "Everything you need to know about Sloss Fest," 6 July 2017
Inside the president’s house, the press has always been on tenuous ground, sitting a few feet away from the proverbial deep end.

— erin blakemore, Longreads, "The Press Has Always Been a Guest in the President’s Home," 1 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of proverbial

see ¹proverb

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First Known Use: 1548

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PROVERBIAL Defined for English Language Learners

proverbial

adjective

Definition of proverbial for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb
: commonly spoken of : widely known

PROVERBIAL Defined for Kids

proverbial

adjective pro·ver·bi·al \ prə-ˈvər-bē-əl \

Definition of proverbial for Students

1 :of a proverb

a proverbial expression

2 :commonly spoken of

You have the proverbial beginner's luck.

—

proverbially

adverb

Learn More about proverbial

Spanish Central: Translation of proverbial Nglish: Translation of proverbial for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of proverbial for Arabic speakers

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proverbial

Definition of proverbial

proverbially

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PROVERBIAL Defined for English Language Learners

proverbial

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proverbial

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proverbially

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