proverbial
adjective
pro·ver·bi·al
prə-ˈvər-bē-əl 
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb
2
: that has become a proverb or byword : commonly spoken of
the proverbial smoking gun
Examples of proverbial in a Sentence
Insanity roamed through her large midwestern tribe, cloistered in proverbial dark closets in gabled houses in areas of the country where no one else lived for miles and miles …
—
Lynne Tillman, Motion Sickness, 1991
I keep running across people who speak fondly about what they imagine to be the comforts of autocracy, who long for the assurances of the proverbial man on the white horse likely to do something hard and puritanical about the moral relativism that has made a mess of the cities, the schools, and prime-time television.
—Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, November 1990
Lynne Tillman, Motion Sickness, 1991
I keep running across people who speak fondly about what they imagine to be the comforts of autocracy, who long for the assurances of the proverbial man on the white horse likely to do something hard and puritanical about the moral relativism that has made a mess of the cities, the schools, and prime-time television.
—Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, November 1990
Recent Examples on the Web
Strolling in on its proverbial white horse, 2026 brings with it an entourage of exciting new eateries in the Kansas City metro.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025
This simplistic starter set is just the tip of Snow Peak’s proverbial iceberg.
—T.j. Fink, Outside, 29 Dec. 2025
The proverbial definition of insanity is trying the same thing again and expecting a different result.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
In other words, after more than year offering the carrot to operators, now comes the proverbial stick.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
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Kansas City Star, 29 Dec. 2025
This simplistic starter set is just the tip of Snow Peak’s proverbial iceberg.
—T.j. Fink, Outside, 29 Dec. 2025
The proverbial definition of insanity is trying the same thing again and expecting a different result.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
In other words, after more than year offering the carrot to operators, now comes the proverbial stick.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
Cite this Entry
“Proverbial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proverbial. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
proverbial
adjective
pro·ver·bi·al
prə-ˈvər-bē-əl
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb
proverbial wisdom
2
: commonly spoken of
the proverbial beginner's luck
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