Proverbial

/pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/ · adjective

Meaning

Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale..

Definitions by Sense

1. Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale.
2. Optionally placed before an element of a well-known proverb or metaphor to emphasize that the element is not being used in a literal sense (see Usage notes below)
3. Widely known; famous; stereotypical.
4. (euphemistic) Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase.
5. (euphemistic, in the plural) The groin or the testicles.

Example Sentences

The busyness of a beaver is proverbial.

The beaver in this instance upheld the reputation of the proverbial one: her output was prodigious.

Doris: You're making me feel like the proverbial stepmother.

the proverbial smoking gun

the proverbial spilled milk

The visit was a warning shot across our proverbial bow

“We don’t like it, it’s the proverbial ‘crap sandwich’ that they talk about but what’s the best move from here and we think it’s the way to go,” said Rep. Mark Walker, chairman of the large group of fiscal conservatives known as the Republican Study Committee. […] “I think there is a growing consensus, whether it’s February or sometime, that we don’t want to be on this proverbial hamster wheel,” he said.

I grew up in a prefab house on Main Street in 1950s suburbia, the second and last child of a proverbial nuclear family.

Synonyms for proverbial

Antonyms for proverbial

Related Words

Word Forms

• more proverbial
• most proverbial
• proverbials

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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