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
The proverbial car chases continue to this day across social media.
—Brian Stelter, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
But Coulter was quick to divert from big business to champion small ones and the proverbial little guys and gals — those struggling to pay for education after high school, or to rent or buy homes, or to start small businesses.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2024
In one sense, an increase in the presence of both women and living composers signals an orchestra updating its proverbial firmware, living up to all those diversity initiatives and audience strategies pitched during the pandemic.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s also an inherent class critique in Ripley’s ability to prey upon these privileged expatriates, the proverbial shark among minnows.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The album also gives proverbial flowers to Linda Martell, 82, the first solo Black woman country artist to play in the Grand Ole Opry.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Beyond talent and core competence, having the emotional intelligence to know the nuances that are in play helps women in no small measure to break the proverbial glass ceiling.
—Abiola Salami, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Doing so could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back, as layoffs would accelerate the financial stress already being demonstrated in the highly concerning credit card data.
—Ivan Illan, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
That distinction goes to someone else now, and that person has carried the Hornets’ proverbial mascot torch since 2014 cloaked in anonymity.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
Brian Stelter, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
But Coulter was quick to divert from big business to champion small ones and the proverbial little guys and gals — those struggling to pay for education after high school, or to rent or buy homes, or to start small businesses.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2024
In one sense, an increase in the presence of both women and living composers signals an orchestra updating its proverbial firmware, living up to all those diversity initiatives and audience strategies pitched during the pandemic.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s also an inherent class critique in Ripley’s ability to prey upon these privileged expatriates, the proverbial shark among minnows.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
The album also gives proverbial flowers to Linda Martell, 82, the first solo Black woman country artist to play in the Grand Ole Opry.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Beyond talent and core competence, having the emotional intelligence to know the nuances that are in play helps women in no small measure to break the proverbial glass ceiling.
—Abiola Salami, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Doing so could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back, as layoffs would accelerate the financial stress already being demonstrated in the highly concerning credit card data.
—Ivan Illan, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
That distinction goes to someone else now, and that person has carried the Hornets’ proverbial mascot torch since 2014 cloaked in anonymity.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proverbial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near proverbial
Cite this Entry
“Proverbial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proverbial. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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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