adage

noun

ad·​age ˈa-dij 

: a saying often in metaphorical form that typically embodies a common observation

She reminded him of the adage: "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Synonyms

• proverb
• saying
• word
• maxim

Examples of adage in a Sentence

that old adage, “the early bird gets the worm”

Recent Examples on the Web

If the old adage proves true that change is the only certainty in an more unpredictable future, that bodes well for adaptation. —Alexander C. Kaufman, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025

There’s an old adage about parenthood and the passage of time: the days are long, but the years are short. —Essence, 1 Aug. 2025

This is a case where the adage about life being more about the journey than the destination needs a little tweaking. —Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 20 July 2025

However, research shows that the old adage is true: Fortune favors the brave, not the cautious. —Harvard Business Review, 31 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Latin adagiō, adagium, from ad- ad- + ag-, base of aiō, āiō "(I) say" (going back to *ag-i̯ō, going back to an Indo-European verb stem *h₂eǵ-i̯e- "say") + -ium, deverbal noun suffix; akin to Greek ê "(s/he) spoke," án-ōga "(I) command," Armenian asem "(I) say," Tocharian B āks- "announce, proclaim"

Note: The Latin form is possibly adāgiō; the lack of vowel reduction in the second syllable is otherwise unexplained. Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin (Brill, 2008), believes that the base is not aiō, but rather adigō, "I drive/thrust/plunge into, force, impel." Semantically, this is not compelling, and does not in any case solve the problem of the second syllable. On the other hand, the lack of attestation for aiō with any prefixes aside from this noun is striking.

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

adage

noun

ad·​age ˈad-ij 

: an old familiar saying : proverb