adage
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of adage
1540–50; < French < Latin adagium, equivalent to ad- ad- + ag- (stem of āio I say) + -ium -ium
Explanation
An adage is a saying. Moms and dads love adages such as "early to bed, early to rise" and "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." The noun adage comes from the Latin root aio, meaning "I say." Like a proverb, an adage can be true or not so much. It's a folksy saying that's been passed around for so long that it doesn't even matter if it's true anymore. Adages can be wise and wisecracking, such as this quote from Alice Roosevelt Longworth: "I've always believed in the adage that the secret of eternal youth is arrested development." There's a Book of Proverbs in the Bible, but adages can show up anywhere, even cross-stitched on a pillow.
Vocabulary lists containing adage
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
See Examples For:
But that just reinforces Samuel Johnson’s adage that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
An old baseball adage says that no matter how hard a pitcher throws, major-league hitters will eventually catch up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
The adage “sell in May and go away” suggests investors should divest their holdings in May and reinvest in November to bypass a period of typically low returns in the summer.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
As the age-old adage goes, “too much of a good thing is a bad thing.”
From Salon ● May 7, 2026
His chess prowess and velvet tongue may have blinded some people to his despicable past, proving the adage that sometimes chess players make strange team fellows.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
For older Angelenos who knew Lew Wasserman, watching the travails has called to mind one of the grandfather’s adages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
All those adages seem to make sense because they’ve been around a long time.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2024
Yeah, but what about all those old adages about “next man up” or how a team is “more than one person” that are supposed to highlight that success and failure go beyond one player?
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 16, 2024
Like the book, the film is filled with wise adages about why it’s important to weather the storm with friends by your side, and using vulnerability as a strength.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2023
“One of the oldest adages in investing is that if you’re reading about it in the paper, it’s too late,” he said.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
