Proverbial is an English word with synonyms like saying or expression. Below you'll find 10+ example sentences showing how it's used in practice.
Proverbial meaning
- Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale.
- Optionally placed before an element of a well-known proverb or metaphor to emphasize that the element is not being used in a literal sense (see Usage notes below)
- Widely known; famous; stereotypical.
Synonyms of Proverbial
Using Proverbial
- The main meaning on this page is: Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale. | Optionally placed before an element of a well-known proverb or metaphor to emphasize that the element is not being used in a literal sense (see Usage notes below) | Widely known; famous; stereotypical.
- Useful related words include: saying, expression, locution, known.
- In the example corpus, proverbial often appears in combinations such as: the proverbial, proverbial back, our proverbial.
Context around Proverbial
- Average sentence length in these examples: 22.9 words
- Position in the sentence: 3 start, 3 middle, 14 end
- Sentence types: 20 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Proverbial
- In this selection, "proverbial" usually appears near the end of the sentence. The average example has 22.9 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, first, patient, include and typing stand out and add context to how "proverbial" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include above the proverbial without supplemental and are the proverbial patient in. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "proverbial" sits close to words such as annapolis, browsers and clears, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with proverbial
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
David Bowie is known today as the proverbial frontman. (9 words)
Meet you back here to raise our proverbial paddles. (9 words)
His charisma is on a par with the proverbial wet noodle. (11 words)
And while there may not be enough money in the coffers to allow for major surgery on the squad next month, there is still hope that Everton - the proverbial patient - could be back in rude health come the end of the season. (42 words)
In the episode “Someone She Knew” (airing Tuesday at 9/8c on CBS), the Fly Team races off to find a kidnapped American teen in Austria, all as the proverbial clock ticks on Forrester’s reassignment. (36 words)
Lowe apparently wasn’t satisfied with that response, and proceeded to rattle off all the advantages the successful car dealer enjoys as an American citizen that he presumably wouldn’t enjoy in the proverbial small village. (36 words)
Example sentences (20)
Examples of the theorem being referred to as proverbial include: Why Creativity Is Not like the Proverbial Typing Monkey.
And while there may not be enough money in the coffers to allow for major surgery on the squad next month, there is still hope that Everton - the proverbial patient - could be back in rude health come the end of the season.
Apparently there also used to be a pool table, but unlike the darts, our waitress was very clear she is delighted it’s gone as it was a “pain in her proverbial”.
But it’s one more offering to add to the proverbial pile.
David Bowie is known today as the proverbial frontman.
He needs to bite the proverbial bullet and behave like an authentic Labor government.
He never tries to over-explain what’s happening here or assumes the audience is too dumb to read between the film’s proverbial lines.
His charisma is on a par with the proverbial wet noodle.
If Everton are the proverbial patient in Sorensen's pithy analogy, then the hard-fought Merseyside derby win that followed their League Cup defeat did, at least, help revive them.
In short, we may be facing a situation in which digital health startups are above the proverbial “,” without supplemental oxygen.
In the episode “Someone She Knew” (airing Tuesday at 9/8c on CBS), the Fly Team races off to find a kidnapped American teen in Austria, all as the proverbial clock ticks on Forrester’s reassignment.
It is not the proverbial “shooting fish in a barrel” process; it is more like grabbing cobras from a basket.
It may just be that the debt monster plaguing the world’s largest deadbeat nation may be the proverbial chickens coming home to roost.
It’s a tender moment in what promises to be a very in-depth and raw conversation—and that was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Japan and the SDF know how to take care of their ex-pats in other countries when the proverbial manure hits the fan.
Lowe apparently wasn’t satisfied with that response, and proceeded to rattle off all the advantages the successful car dealer enjoys as an American citizen that he presumably wouldn’t enjoy in the proverbial small village.
Markets have moved slowly higher this year, climbing the proverbial wall of worry.
Mashonaland Central was the first proverbial ‘water’ that sheltered our freedom fighters, as they laid the groundwork for a protracted people’s war for our Independence.
Meet you back here to raise our proverbial paddles.
Miwa has always known that she prefers women, but now that she's at university and away from her old surroundings, she can finally step out of the proverbial closet.
Common combinations with proverbial
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts: