as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience her mother endlessly repeated the apothegm "cleanliness is next to godliness"

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 apothegm As with every Together Live speaker, each apothegm is met with exuberant applause. Zoë Ghertner, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apothegm
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • As the old saying goes, blood — and directorial instincts — are thicker than water.
    Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • 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
  • Bertie suddenly shouted, quite pleased with himself for managing to get a word out correctly.
    Lizz Schumer, People.com, 3 May 2025
  • 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
  • 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
  • Throughout, Snook hams for laughs, turning Wilde’s witticisms and epigrams into slapstick.
    Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025

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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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