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

proverbially

prə-ˈvər-bē-ə-lē 

adverb

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 on the Web

Five years have elapsed since Shannon Lay’s last album of original songs, and in the interim, the Los Angeles musician has been studying the proverbial blade. — Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 29 July 2026

One of the aspects that makes the program special, Ohwobete said, is how participants keep it in the proverbial family. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Alix Earle, and her younger sister Ashtin, have given the skinny brow trend their own proverbial thumbs up, plucking away their natural shape over the last year. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 27 July 2026

This proverbial down year for track and field has been an opportunity for Richardson to build her way back towards the top. — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 25 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

see proverb entry 1

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for proverbial

• adverbial

Kids 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

proverbially

-bē-ə-lē 

adverb