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Synonyms

famous last words

Idioms  

  1. A phrase used to express disbelief, rejection, or self-deprecation. For example, They said we'd get an extra bonus at Christmas—famous last words! or This book is bound to make the best-seller list—famous last words! This expression alludes to grandiose statements about human affairs that prove to be untrue, such as “This is the war to end all wars,” or “We must make the world safe for democracy.” [Late 1930s]

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.

Thirty-odd millennia into the future, those are still famous last words.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2023

It may also be a missive to their fans and closes with what will become Townshend’s most famous last words since his “I saw ya!” at the end of “Magic Bus.”

From Washington Times • Dec. 6, 2019

The quotation is from Pound’s “Blandula, Tenula, Vagula,” a poem inspired by the famous last words of Emperor Hadrian.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 4, 2019

The book centers on Miles Halter, a reserved student fascinated with famous last words and an enigmatic girl, Alaska Young.

From New York Times • Sep. 19, 2019

I have even remembered some electrifying famous last words which I have been saving up to finish with.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

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.