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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But Bluey’s comforted when Calypso tells her a proverb about a farmer who trusts everything will turn out the way it’s meant to be.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
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Whitaker nicknamed the place Sparrow Hall, a reference to a medieval saint’s proverb about a sparrow who flies over a royal banquet, feeling only a brief moment of warmth.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Read more The pathetic, slow-motion downfall of Barack Obama Houseguests and fish begin to smell after three days, as the saying goes.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
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As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.—
Fernanda Galan,
Sacbee.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His sentences stopped making sense, then his words.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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Some teachers have pushed back against the changes to reading instruction, which place a greater emphasis on phonics and discourage the use of context clues to guess at words.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Throughout, Snook hams for laughs, turning Wilde’s witticisms and epigrams into slapstick.—
Christian Lewis,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Apothegm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apothegm. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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