1
as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
Mom's favorite byword is "You can get more flies with honey than with vinegar"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in classic
the most perfect type or example
nationally, Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive has become a byword for luxury retailing
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of byword
Moreover, in the case of Kafka, a highly idiosyncratic writer, whose very name has become a byword for modern alienation and bureaucratic absurdity, the influence of his elegant and long-canonical early translators Willa and Edwin Muir still looms large.
—
Mark Harman
august 8, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Before Wales’ women’s teams were given names on the back of their shirts in 2019, Fishlock’s was the one people could reel off, a byword for Welsh women’s football.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 10 July 2025
The exhibits will give a more nuanced view of a ruler whose name has become a byword for marauding in the west.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 8 May 2025
For others, the town provides the most inauthentic travel experience possible, Benidorm a byword for debauchery and sleaze.
—Joshua Korber Hoffman, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for byword
Mark Harman
august 8, Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
Before Wales’ women’s teams were given names on the back of their shirts in 2019, Fishlock’s was the one people could reel off, a byword for Welsh women’s football.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 10 July 2025
The exhibits will give a more nuanced view of a ruler whose name has become a byword for marauding in the west.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 8 May 2025
For others, the town provides the most inauthentic travel experience possible, Benidorm a byword for debauchery and sleaze.
—Joshua Korber Hoffman, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for byword
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byword
Noun
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Instead, Jeffrey Gahler has turned budget hearings into a sideshow by attacking McCord for scribbling a French version of a familiar proverb during an April meeting.—
Aegis reader commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Aug. 2025
-
In West African traditions, the drum serves as both a musical instrument and a talking messenger, transmitting proverbs, praises, and official announcements in a language that reinforces the chief’s authority and the community’s history.—
Felicia Appenteng,
semafor.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The Polestar 1 is a future classic, the Polestar 2 is pretty good as well, the Polestar 3 is mostly forgettable, and so is the Polestar 4.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Romantic films in the modern era often lack the depth that cult classics released in the 1980s and 1990s had.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Iniki is the Hawaiian word for sharp and piercing wind.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Colleagues described a popular chaplain with nicknames for the tiny patients and soothing words for their bleary-eyed parents.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Allied together, the two vessels fight the physical manifestation of the Radiance.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
On the automotive front, that character arc can be represented by the transition from the baronial elegance of the Bentley S2 Continental to the manifestation of rebellion found in the muscle cars from Motor City.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
With $15 and a short saying, Missourians can buy custom tags for their car or truck.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
-
There is a saying that each time memory is recalled and re-told the memory is replaced by the memory of the memory.—
Vineer Bhansali,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Built to last, the 2020 model features a new roof design that boasts up to 90 pounds per square foot of snow load.—
Gabriela Izquierdo,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The iPhone 17 lineup is headlined by the addition of the iPhone 17 Air, which takes the place of the iPhone Plus model that served as the company's second tier phone.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But, that’s sort of the motto behind the Episcopal Church.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
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Our motto was that the army of the people, one for all and all for one, can exist only in a democracy.—
Ron Scherf,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The apotheosis of Soderbergh’s fascination with close-ups is his 1999 crime thriller The Limey, about Wilson, an English ex-convict who comes to Los Angeles to find out what happened to his missing daughter and, upon finding out that she was murdered, embarks on a revenge mission.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
20 Aug. 2025
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Rooftop 58 serves as a near-perfect metaphor for the city’s recent apotheosis: Where a crumbling eyesore of a parking garage stood for decades, a new local government office, Brucity, opened in late 2022.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Byword.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byword. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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