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

proverbially

prə-ˈvər-bē-ə-lē 

adverb

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Their pool this season was determined to be the proverbial Group of Death, but that was before injuries to the Pelicans and Grizzlies. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 14 Nov. 2024

Co-created by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, Landman is set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas and is a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs. —Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024

It’s been like discovering a goldmine of good feelings amid a proverbial garbage fire. —Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024

Indeed, all of these are and should be part of the proverbial plan. —Tim Maurer, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see proverb entry 1

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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

proverbially

-bē-ə-lē 

adverb