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

Suddenly, a bunch of (borderline) habitable planets are on Earth's proverbial doorstep, as the wormhole provides a permanent gateway to a distant region of the universe. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 14 Mar. 2025

Trump, who’s salivating over possibly receiving a Nobel prize for peace, and JD Vance blindsided Ukraine’s president as Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz sat with their proverbial thumbs in their mouths. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025

Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025

After which, stop and consider wind and solar not as energy concepts that require federal subsidies, but concepts that should be allowed to compete in marketplaces free of proverbial government thumbs on proverbial scales. —John Tamny, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see proverb entry 1

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for proverbial

• adverbial

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