proverbial

American  

[pruh-vur-bee-uhl] / prəˈvɜr bi əl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a proverb.

   proverbial brevity.

2. expressed in a proverb or proverbs.

   proverbial wisdom.

3. of the nature of or resembling a proverb.

   proverbial sayings.

4. having been made the subject of a proverb.

   the proverbial barn door which is closed too late.

5. having become an object of common mention or reference.

   your proverbial inability to get anywhere on time.

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proverbial British  

/ prəˈvɜːbɪəl /

adjective

1. (prenominal) commonly or traditionally referred to, esp as being an example of some peculiarity, characteristic, etc

2. of, connected with, embodied in, or resembling a proverb

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Other Word Forms

• proverbially adverb
• unproverbial adjective
• unproverbially adverb

Etymology

Origin of proverbial

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word prōverbiālis. See proverb, -al ¹

Example Sentences

His goal, he says, is to end the evening with a proverbial arms-in-the-air win.

From The Wall Street Journal

Certain items may be overvalued, while others may be the proverbial diamonds in the rough.

From MarketWatch

There again, maybe the laugh is on the rest of us, because these folks are still pulling down the big bucks, even after their predictions worked out worse than the proverbial blindfolded chimpanzee throwing darts.

From MarketWatch

Powell’s assiduous outreach to his colleagues gives him a good overview of where the proverbial bodies are buried, giving colleagues ample time to voice their objections.

From Barron's

They always at least stay around the proverbial blackboard, as Friedman calls it, in case a player’s market doesn’t develop as expected.

From Los Angeles Times