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
But often these insightful gems are just left on our proverbial shelves gathering dust.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 4 Nov. 2025
But Eilish also used the opportunity to send a proverbial gut check to some attendees of the event.
—Mikelle Street, Them., 30 Oct. 2025
The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel needs to come soon for West Ham.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
On Saturday, the Pioneers delivered a proverbial kick in the teeth to Johnson in a Class 4A, Section 3 semifinal, rolling to a 59-18 victory.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
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Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 4 Nov. 2025
But Eilish also used the opportunity to send a proverbial gut check to some attendees of the event.
—Mikelle Street, Them., 30 Oct. 2025
The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel needs to come soon for West Ham.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
On Saturday, the Pioneers delivered a proverbial kick in the teeth to Johnson in a Class 4A, Section 3 semifinal, rolling to a 59-18 victory.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 25 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 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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