maxim

noun

max·​im ˈmak-səm 

1

: a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct

Mother's favorite maxim was "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

2

: a proverbial saying

advised her daughter with the maxim "marry in haste, repent at leisure"

Synonyms

• adage
• aphorism
• apothegm
• byword
• epigram
• proverb
• saw
• saying
• sententia
• word

Examples of maxim in a Sentence

it's a common maxim that “a watched pot never boils,” but that's not literally true

Recent Examples on the Web

There is an emerging maxim that the only liberal Harris skeptics are the terminally online. —Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024

Seems silly to say it that way, but that maxim helps describe some of the ways that power and contact interact in the game of baseball. —Eno Sarris, The Athletic, 16 Apr. 2024

Biden just doesn’t seem to understand a maxim of all performative endeavors, including politics: the greatest know when to cede the stage. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

Bickerstaff’s comment captures an integral maxim of sports: process over results. —Mat Issa, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maxime, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin maxima, from Latin, feminine of maximus, superlative of magnus large — more at much

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

maxim

noun

max·​im ˌmak-səm 

1

: a general truth or rule of conduct

2

: a proverbial saying

Biographical Definition

Maxim 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Max·​im ˈmak-səm 

Sir Hiram Stevens 1840–1916 British (American-born) inventor

Maxim

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Hudson 1853–1927 brother of Hiram Maxim American inventor