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

So Jacob Adams was sent to the proverbial corner to cool off. — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

The proverbial foot in the door between TCU Press and the Phillips family came a few years ago, when literary agent Jim Donovan contacted the department about an unpublished memoir on the author. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026

Every possession we ever had- jewelry, paintings, clothing- we were left with the proverbial clothes on our back, and that was it. — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Both of those rungs on the proverbial ladder should be celebrated and certainly not taken for granted. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 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