as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
what does the aphorism "Hindsight is 20/20" mean?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of aphorism
The books were silly, designed to entertain, but also filled with aphorisms that forced you to pause for a moment or two.
—
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
The perfect vague yet totally true aphorism to throw at any put-down.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025
The marketing taglines that bear the same force and resonance as elders’ aphorisms: 1010 WINS, American Express, Calgon.
—Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
The dollar, on the other hand, is everyone’s problem, to paraphrase an aphorism from John Connally, the former U.S. Treasury secretary.
—Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for aphorism
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
The perfect vague yet totally true aphorism to throw at any put-down.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 31 Jan. 2025
The marketing taglines that bear the same force and resonance as elders’ aphorisms: 1010 WINS, American Express, Calgon.
—Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
The dollar, on the other hand, is everyone’s problem, to paraphrase an aphorism from John Connally, the former U.S. Treasury secretary.
—Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for aphorism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aphorism
Noun
-
The Giants have one of the least-talented and most expensive offensive lines in the entire NFL There's an old NFL proverb that suggests games are won and lost in the trenches.—
Geoffrey Knox,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
-
Nobody plots against anyone, but nobody invokes ancient proverbs, either.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
Sunlight, as the saying goes, is the best disinfectant.—
Tom Blakely,
Boston Herald,
27 June 2025
-
The better version of this saying is to iterate fast.—
Abdo Riani,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Those were words disgraced Pittsburgh financial advisor Marty Blazer lived by.—
Guy Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
-
That word first exploded onto the scene in World War II Britain as Royal Air Force slang for a bomb of enough penetrating power to shatterwhole blocks of homes and pavements.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
But, of course, seeing one of our best musical comediennes so deliciously live out the maxim that all is vanity is especially a treat for Hilty heads who’ve longed to see her in a Broadway production that lives up to the title of her former TV series.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2025
-
La Fontaine’s focus on animals and penchant for moral maxims must have immediately attracted her.—
Susan Gubar
June 9,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aphorism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aphorism. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share