Adjacent Words

Proverbial definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROVERB'IAL,a. Mentioned in a proverb; as a proverbial cure or remedy.
In case of excesses, I take the German proverbial cure, by a hair of the same beast, to be the worst in the world.
1. Comprised in a proverb; used or current as a proverb; as a proverbial saying or speech.
2. Pertaining to proverbs; resembling a proverb; suitable to a proverb; as a proverbial obscurity.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of or relating to or resembling or expressed in a proverb; "he kicked the proverbial bucket"; "the proverbial grasshopper"
2: widely known and spoken of; "her proverbial lateness"; "the proverbial absentminded professor"; "your proverbial dizzy blonde"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 1548 1. of, relating to, or resembling a proverb 2. that has become a proverb or byword ; commonly spoken of <the proverbial smoking gun> • proverbially adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 (esp. of a specific characteristic etc.) as well-known as a proverb; notorious (his proverbial honesty). 2 of or referred to in a proverb (the proverbial ill wind). Derivatives: proverbiality n. proverbially adv. Etymology: ME f. L proverbialis (as PROVERB)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Proverbial Pro*ver"bi*al, a. [L. proverbialis: cf. F. proverbial.] 1. Mentioned or comprised in a proverb; used as a proverb; hence, commonly known; as, a proverbial expression; his meanness was proverbial. In case of excesses, I take the German proverbial cure, by a hair of the same beast, to be the worst. --Sir W. Temple. 2. Of or pertaining to proverbs; resembling a proverb. ``A proverbial obscurity.'' --Sir T. Browne.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

You use proverbial to show that you know the way you are describing something is one that is often used or is part of a popular saying. My audience certainly isn't the proverbial man in the street. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Notorious, current, acknowledged, unquestioned.

Moby Thesaurus

accepted, acknowledged, aphoristic, apophthegmatic, apothegmatic, archetypal, axiomatic, common, commonly known, commonplace, crisp, current, epigrammatic, exemplary, familiar, formulaic, formulistic, gnomic, hackneyed, homiletic, household, moralistic, notorious, pithy, platitudinous, pointed, public, pungent, sententious, succinct, talked-about, talked-of, terse, time-honored, traditional, trite, truistic, typical, universally admitted, universally recognized, well-kenned, well-known, well-recognized, well-understood, widely known