What does proverbial mean?

Definitions for proverbial
prəˈvɜr bi əlprover·bial

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word proverbial.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. proverbialadjective

    of or relating to or resembling or expressed in a proverb

    "he kicked the proverbial bucket"; "the proverbial grasshopper"

  2. proverbialadjective

    widely known and spoken of

    "her proverbial lateness"; "the proverbial absentminded professor"; "your proverbial dizzy blonde"

Wiktionary

  1. proverbialnoun

    Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well known phrase.

    I think we should be prepared in case the proverbial hits the fan.

  2. proverbialnoun

    The groin or the testicles.

  3. proverbialadjective

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

  4. proverbialadjective

    Widely known; famous; stereotypical.

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

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Proverbialadjective

    Etymology: proverbial, Fr. from proverb.

    In case of excesses, I take the German proverbial cure, by a hair of the same beast, to be the worst in the world; and the best, the monks diet, to eat till you are sick, and fast till you are well again. William Temple, Miscel.

    Despis’d and curs’d Leontius must descend
    Through hissing ages, a proverbial coward. Irene.

    This river’s head being unknown, and drawn to a proverbial obscurity, the opinion thereof became without bounds. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

    Moral sentences and proverbial speeches are numerous in this poet. Alexander Pope.

Wikipedia

  1. proverbial

    A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbial expression is a type of a conventional saying similar to proverbs and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. Collectively, they form a genre of folklore. Some proverbs exist in more than one language because people borrow them from languages and cultures with which they are in contact. In the West, the Bible (including, but not limited to the Book of Proverbs) and medieval Latin (aided by the work of Erasmus) have played a considerable role in distributing proverbs. Not all Biblical proverbs, however, were distributed to the same extent: one scholar has gathered evidence to show that cultures in which the Bible is the major spiritual book contain "between three hundred and five hundred proverbs that stem from the Bible," whereas another shows that, of the 106 most common and widespread proverbs across Europe, 11 are from the Bible. However, almost every culture has its own unique proverbs.

ChatGPT

  1. proverbial

    Proverbial refers to something that is well-known, widely recognized, or commonly referred to because it is often used as an example in proverbs or idiomatic expressions. It can also mean typical or characteristic of a specific thing or person. Essentially, it describes something that is so familiar it has become a reference point or cliché.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Proverbialadjective

    mentioned or comprised in a proverb; used as a proverb; hence, commonly known; as, a proverbial expression; his meanness was proverbial

  2. Proverbialadjective

    of or pertaining to proverbs; resembling a proverb

  3. Etymology: [L. proverbialis: cf. F. proverbial.]

How to pronounce proverbial?

How to say proverbial in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of proverbial in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of proverbial in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of proverbial in a Sentence

  1. Steven Mana'oakamai Johnson:

    Just because the reef currently doesn't show any impacts from climate change, it doesn't mean that's going to hold into the future, and so we can't just assume that because no one knew it was there, and when we found it, it was in good shape that it will continue to dodge the proverbial climate bullets.

  2. Pavel Molchanov:

    Oil and gas companies do not want to drill more, they are under pressure from the financial community to pay more dividends, to do more share buybacks, instead of the proverbial 'drill baby drill,' which is the way they would have done things 10 years ago. Corporate strategy has fundamentally changed.

  3. Bryan benjamin nicholls:

    to men and women alike your age just a number if you love the person for who they are what they are and respect there beliefs and accept them for who they are you love them in short love is all you need in a relationship and throw your age out the proverbial window.

  4. Nicole Antonopoulos:

    Los Angeles was Los Angeles, in a nutshell, the state preemption threw a huge kink in our efforts towards carbon neutrality. This isn't the first time the state has preempted things that have made us go back to the proverbial drawing table and figure out how we get creative and innovative in a space where we don't have funding.

  5. RAS CARDO REGGAE:

    one thing poverty has taught me is how to be patient.because I learn that so many times,-driven by our desire to make things better with our circumstances, we often overlook the dangers of unforeseen catastrophic consequences. my beloved mother would say-tek time, run fast. jamaican proverbial wisdom.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

proverbial#10000#38515#100000

Translations for proverbial

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for proverbial »

Translation

Find a translation for the proverbial definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"proverbial." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/proverbial>.

Discuss these proverbial definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for proverbial? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    proverbial

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    an attendant who carries the golf clubs for a player
    A knead
    B exacerbate
    C caddie
    D flub

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for proverbial: