as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
her mother endlessly repeated the apothegm "cleanliness is next to godliness"
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Recent Examples of apothegm
As with every Together Live speaker, each apothegm is met with exuberant applause.
—
Zoë Ghertner, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2019
Zoë Ghertner, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apothegm
Noun
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The difficulty that arises is reminiscent of the old proverb about blind men groping different parts of an elephant.—
Dan McLaughlin,
National Review,
6 May 2025
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Even the most nonsensical attempts at new proverbs resulted in a confident explanation from Google's AI Overview, created right there on the spot.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As the old saying goes, blood — and directorial instincts — are thicker than water.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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An old saying suggests a series isn’t a series until the road team wins a contest on the opponent’s home floor.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Bertie suddenly shouted, quite pleased with himself for managing to get a word out correctly.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
3 May 2025
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And on the brink of elimination, the Avs amped up the pressure to force the best two words in sports: Game 7.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Noun
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Her poems of that era — sonnets, epigrams, eminently quotable snippets of rhymed gossip — pulse with the dynamism and attitude of the modern city.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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Throughout, Snook hams for laughs, turning Wilde’s witticisms and epigrams into slapstick.—
Christian Lewis,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apothegm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apothegm. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
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