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adage

American  
[ad-ij] / ˈæd ɪdʒ /

noun

  1. a traditional saying expressing a common experience or observation; proverb.

adage British  
/ ˈædɪdʒ /

noun

  1. a traditional saying that is accepted by many as true or partially true; proverb

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • adagial adjective

Etymology

Origin of adage

1540–50; < French < Latin adagium, equivalent to ad- ad- + ag- (stem of āio I say) + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Barshay lives by the adage “Speed is your friend, and time is your enemy.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

“There’s an old adage in the Wall Street community that bad things happen under the 200-day moving average. As a trend follower this rings true,” Woods said.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

The adage goes, it doesn’t have to be pretty.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

It has been a Florida swing to prove the adage that tournaments are never over until they are over.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Not only did they fight the Inka, they followed the old adage about the enemy of my enemy being my friend and actually furnished supplies to Pizarro.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.