noun

• A short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.

  ‘Riddles, proverbs, and sayings that describe proper behavior for both young and old Kenyans are still common.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Beware of proverbs: they are a snare and a delusion.’
  • ‘To quote a Kannada proverb it is like water off a buffalo's back.’
  • ‘It's tough to choose a single epitaph for a man who invoked so many epigrams and proverbs.’
  • ‘It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness, as a rough translation of a Chinese proverb goes.’
  • ‘I hate wise proverbs, as a rule, but the one about ‘all work and no play’ certainly springs to mind.’
  • ‘He gives his advice with old Iraqi proverbs and quotes from the Koran.’
  • ‘There is literal truth in the proverb that habit is second nature.’
  • ‘Riddles and proverbs can influence each other and sometimes a piece of advice in proverb form can be turned into a riddle, or vice versa.’
  • ‘The shrewdness and sharpness of his proverbs and his forceful epigrams serve, in an exceptional degree, to make ethical ideas a popular possession.’
  • ‘He is well known for weaving proverbs and traditional storytelling into the western form of the novel.’
  • ‘Adinkra symbols usually represent popular proverbs, adages or traditional concepts in Ghanaian culture.’
  • ‘Sheikh Mo, who fancies himself a prophet of modernisation, likes to impress visitors with clever proverbs and heavy aphorisms.’
  • ‘The sayings are in the form of proverbs, parables, aphorisms, and exhortations.’
  • ‘Norwegians tend to integrate sayings and proverbs into daily conversations.’
  • ‘When I was younger I had had a Polish violin teacher, and she had told me a Yiddish proverb that proved to be the truth.’
  • ‘They still exchange mnemonic sayings, adages and proverbs.’
  • ‘His sayings and proverbs, which embodied his philosophy of life, were handed down from generation to generation.’
  • ‘Songs, stories, proverbs, and sayings have been passed down over thousands of years.’
  • ‘The epic by Waris is interspersed with proverbs, sayings, folktales, history and poetry par excellence.’

  Synonyms

  saying, adage, saw, maxim, axiom, motto, aphorism, epigram, gnome, dictum, precept

  View synonyms