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
That said, can Milwaukee get the proverbial monkey off its back?
—Scott Phillips, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
With rumors and reports that McDaniel is on the proverbial hot seat, and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross growing frustrated with the situation, a fifth loss could lead to some sweeping changes.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins offense was stuck at 17 for a significant portion of the game until a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle broke the proverbial scoring cap late in the fourth quarter.
—Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
And a fourth loss in five games could be enough to cause the proverbial sword to fall from its thread and put an early end to the Ravens' chances of emerging as a playoff contender.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
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Scott Phillips, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
With rumors and reports that McDaniel is on the proverbial hot seat, and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross growing frustrated with the situation, a fifth loss could lead to some sweeping changes.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins offense was stuck at 17 for a significant portion of the game until a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle broke the proverbial scoring cap late in the fourth quarter.
—Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
And a fourth loss in five games could be enough to cause the proverbial sword to fall from its thread and put an early end to the Ravens' chances of emerging as a playoff contender.
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 5 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 21 Oct. 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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