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
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
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
The Royals just rarely put themselves into the proverbial hitters’ counts.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 28 June 2025
Some could call it a proverbial flip of the narrative switch to shine the lights on the usual suspects to stir up some fresh buying activity.
—David Trainer, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
The proverbial pendulum has swung from good to bad and back again at an alarmingly frequent pace.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025
Rowling’s magic seems to appeal to some critics as a way to have one’s proverbial cake and eat it—advanced technology without the harmful effects— but this interpretation might hinge more on readerly projections than what the texts bear out.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
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Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 28 June 2025
Some could call it a proverbial flip of the narrative switch to shine the lights on the usual suspects to stir up some fresh buying activity.
—David Trainer, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
The proverbial pendulum has swung from good to bad and back again at an alarmingly frequent pace.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025
Rowling’s magic seems to appeal to some critics as a way to have one’s proverbial cake and eat it—advanced technology without the harmful effects— but this interpretation might hinge more on readerly projections than what the texts bear out.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
Cite this Entry
“Proverbial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proverbial. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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