Byword
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈbaɪ.wə(ɹ)d/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Byword is a noun meaning A proverb or proverbial expression, common saying; a frequently used word or phrase.
Meaning
A proverb or proverbial expression, common saying; a frequently used word or phrase.
More Meanings
- A characteristic word or expression; a word or phrase associated with a person or group.
- An object of notoriety or contempt, scorn or derision.
- A nickname or epithet.
- Someone or something that stands as an example (i.e. metonymically) for something else, by having some of that something's characteristic traits.
Example Sentences
He hath made me also a byword of the people […]
"I know you and Harry are inseparable. Surely for that reason, if for none other, you should not have made his sister's name a by-word."
Illustrious unfortunates attract a wider sympathy, not because their griefs are more intense, but because, being set on lofty pedestals, they the better serve mankind as instances and bywords of calamity.
Word Forms
- bywords
Synonyms for byword
Depending on context, synonyms include adage, proverb, saw.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include proverb, adage, saw, buzzword, catchphrase, synonym.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.