as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
what does the aphorism "Hindsight is 20/20" mean?
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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
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Nobody plots against anyone, but nobody invokes ancient proverbs, either.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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As the Chinese proverb suggests, U.S. tariffs aimed at Beijing have tested diplomacy and strategy between the two largest world economies.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There’s a saying that an organized lie is stronger than the disorganized truth.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
17 June 2025
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As the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.—
James Blake,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Noun
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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
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More important would be whether China and Russia took any stronger action against the United States beyond words.—
Matthew Tostevin
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 June 2025
Noun
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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
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For all the screenwriting manuals and maxims that insist on character goals and motivations and missions and all those things we’re supposed to have in real life too, there can be something riveting about a character with no plan at all.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aphorism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aphorism. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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