as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
Benjamin Franklin's famous epigram, "Remember that time is money"
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Recent Examples of epigram
That celebrated epigram is delivered by the character of Octave, who is the greatest creation of Renoir’s career—not least because he’s played by Renoir in a performance that’s essentially a self-portrait, even an onscreen self-creation.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 July 2025
Everyone has a right to define the artist in special terms, and to attempt an epigram that will make a reality out of a convenient term.
—John Updike, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story.
—Jann E. Freed, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
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
On his plane plastered with Trumpian epigrams, Vance makes the case for Trump’s second-term vision of enhanced executive power.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
No one could tell the clock by him; no one could quote an epigram of his; no one could ever remember his being a friend of their daddy—or even their granddaddy.
—E. L. Doctorow, The New Yorker, 1 July 2024
Chevalier wrote that the idea for the reports had come from Oppenheimer, who helped to write them and even chose literary references for the epigrams.
—TIME, 8 Mar. 2024
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 July 2025
Everyone has a right to define the artist in special terms, and to attempt an epigram that will make a reality out of a convenient term.
—John Updike, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story.
—Jann E. Freed, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
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
On his plane plastered with Trumpian epigrams, Vance makes the case for Trump’s second-term vision of enhanced executive power.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
No one could tell the clock by him; no one could quote an epigram of his; no one could ever remember his being a friend of their daddy—or even their granddaddy.
—E. L. Doctorow, The New Yorker, 1 July 2024
Chevalier wrote that the idea for the reports had come from Oppenheimer, who helped to write them and even chose literary references for the epigrams.
—TIME, 8 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epigram
Noun
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That ancient proverb captures the mindset of American investors eyeing the Middle East as a global growth engine.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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A certain proverb about glass houses comes to mind.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
Noun
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There’s another way of measuring the sandwich's size, borrowing from a ubiquitous saying about eating.—
Amanda Hancock,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
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As the saying goes, nobody wants to sit at the reject table.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In response, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson issued an exclusive statement to EW condemning Navarro's words.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Guides can help first-time visitors navigate the word soup.—
Robin Catalano,
Robb Report,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Minima Moralia, composed in the shadow of the Holocaust, collects quasi-Marxian fragments and aphorisms that even as postscript to atrocity read as terrible prophecy.—
Jon Raymond
August 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
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The British Standards Institution (BSI) ’s latest survey data all but confirmed the aphorism, as the business improvement and standards firm found consumer expectations concerning sustainability increasingly at odds with willingness to pay for those expectations.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Epigram.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epigram. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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