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

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

Examples of adage in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

When describing his country's economics, Navarro drew on a political adage coined by campaign strategist James Carville. —Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025

Wait a second, the retort goes, the old-time adage is that to the victor go the spoils. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025

Cruise lines are embracing the bigger-is-better adage as more massive vessels make their way from the shipyard to the sea. —Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 7 May 2025

Long train trips were designed for those who understand the old adage of appreciating the journey, not just the destination. —Ellen Carpenter, AFAR Media, 24 Apr. 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