byword
Americannoun
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a word or phrase associated with some person or thing; a characteristic expression, typical greeting, or the like.
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a word or phrase used proverbially; common saying; proverb.
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an object of general reproach, derision, scorn, etc..
His crimes will make him a byword through the ages.
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an epithet, often of scorn.
noun
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a person, place, or thing regarded as a perfect or proverbial example of something
their name is a byword for good service
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an object of scorn or derision
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a common saying; proverb
Etymology
Origin of byword
before 1050; Middle English biworde, Old English biwyrde. See by (adj.), word
Explanation
A byword is an adage or a catchphrase — it's a motto that captures some important principle or meaningful idea. Your family's byword might be "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Like a proverb or an aphorism, a byword condenses an idea that resonates with many people into a short, memorable phrase. If you grandmother is famous for saying, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," you can describe the saying as her favorite byword. In Old English, the word was biword, "proverb," or "household word," a translation of the Latin proverbium.
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.
Once a byword for joyful excess, Havana has been hollowed by blackouts, departures and deep uncertainty about its future.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Copper-rich Zambia, once a byword for sovereign debt distress, heads to the polls Thursday in an election that will test whether President Hakainde Hichilema has convinced voters his economic reforms are paying off.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
He added he was "sick and tired" of Betsi being "a byword for dysfunction and declining standards".
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
In historical terms, Suez is a byword for the humiliation of a once-great but declining power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
The Northfarthing barley was so fine that the beer of 1420 malt was long remembered and became a byword.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
