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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.

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

From Los Angeles Times

As the old adage goes: “You’ve got to give it away to keep it.”

From MarketWatch

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense, as the old adage goes.

From Barron's

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

From BBC

Will he follow the adage that revenge is a dish best served cold, and prefer to make peace, consolidate power and rebuild his military to fight another day?

From The Wall Street Journal

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.