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aphorism

noun
aph·​o·​rism | \ ˈa-fə-ˌri-zəm How to pronounce aphorism (audio) \

Definition of aphorism

1 : a concise statement of a principle
2 : a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment : adage the high-minded aphorism, "Let us value the quality of life, not the quantity"
3 : an ingeniously terse style of expression : aphoristic language These are dazzling chapters, packed with perfectly chosen anecdotes and pithy with aphorism.— John Keegan
Other Words from aphorism Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about aphorism

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Other Words from aphorism

aphorist \ -​rist How to pronounce aphorist (audio) \ noun
aphoristic \ ˌa-​fə-​ˈris-​tik How to pronounce aphoristic (audio) \ adjective
aphoristically \ -​ti-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce aphoristically (audio) \ adverb

Did You Know?

Aphorism was originally used in the world of medicine. Credit Hippocrates, the Greek physician regarded as the father of modern medicine, with influencing our use of the word. He used aphorismos (a Greek ancestor of aphorism meaning "definition" or "aphorism") in titling a book outlining his principles on the diagnosis and treatment of disease. That volume offered many examples that helped to define aphorism, beginning with the statement that starts the book's introduction: "Life is short, Art long, Occasion sudden and dangerous, Experience deceitful, and Judgment difficult." English speakers originally used the term mainly in the realm of the physical sciences, but eventually broadened its use to cover principles in other fields.

Examples of aphorism in a Sentence

Confronted by a broadminded, witty, and tolerant cosmopolitan, for whom the infinite varieties of human custom offered a source of inexhaustible fascination, Thucydides presented himself as a humorless nationalist, an intellectual given to political aphorisms and abstract generalizations. — Peter Green, New York Review of Books, 15 May 2008 It doesn't take long to learn that a lie always unravels and that it always ends up making you feel royally cruddy. "Do the kind of work during the day that allows you to sleep at night" was an aphorism my grandfather was fond of. — Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2006 The Sun twice went into journalism legend. Its city editor John Bogart is generally credited with the aphorism "When a dog bites a man, that's not news. But when a man bites a dog, that's news." And the paper delivered America's most treasured editorial in 1897, when a young girl, whose playmates had told her there was no Santa Claus, wrote and asked the Sun to tell her the truth. — Peter Andrews, American Heritage, October 1994 Truman is remembered as much today for his aphorisms as his policies: "The buck stops here," "If you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen," and the like. Such slogans are endearing in a time of plastic politicians who make a career of ducking responsibilities … — Ronald Steel, New Republic, 10 Aug. 1992 When decorating, remember the familiar aphorism, “less is more.” what does the aphorism “Hindsight is 20/20” mean?
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Recent Examples on the Web

 At the Red Kettle, just off the town square, Dillman, who arrived in the 1970s to go rock climbing and essentially never left, is finishing her breakfast, beneath a wall of aphorisms and one-liners. — James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, "Idyllwild prized its isolation. Now, with the roads into town wrecked, it feels all alone," 21 July 2019 There are long critical essays, short book reviews, reportage with a literary inflection, histories, missives, diary entries, aphorisms, parables, advice, dreams, a test, fictional excursus and, yes, lists. — Zachary Fine, WSJ, "‘Attention’ Review: Anatomist of Our Disorder," 30 Aug. 2018 The lyrics, loaded with metaphors and aphorisms, fire off honest observations about art versus commerce, pragmatism versus idealism, and the struggle to love amid jealousy and doubt. — Ashley Lee, latimes.com, "Anais Mitchell on the very public evolution of ‘Hadestown’ in the digital age," 4 June 2019 The track is brimming with self-empowering aphorisms to inspire a whole year's worth of Instagram captions. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "All of the New Music You Should Be Listening to in 2019," 10 Jan. 2019 Not every journalist must choose between the view-from-nowhere voice of the objective journalist and stale aphorisms of major newspaper editorial pages. — David Roberts, Vox, "My advice for aspiring explainer journalists," 9 Dec. 2018 Roaming from Hanoi to Kerkyra to Manhattan, Xie’s language veers between precise imagery, with the details of the world rendered in intimate close-up, and elegant aphorism, zooming out to take in a universal truth from a wide shot. — Constance Grady, Vox, "We read all 25 National Book Award finalists for 2018. Here’s what we thought.," 15 Nov. 2018 Yet business leaders who recall the French aphorism that nothing lasts like the provisional will be reassured by the white paper. — The Economist, "Hard Brexit is unravelling," 28 June 2018 Almost immediately, Patience Worth began writing aphorisms and parables through the Ouija board. — Joy Lanzendorfer, Longreads, "Ghost Writer: The Story of Patience Worth, the Posthumous Author," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aphorism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of aphorism

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for aphorism

Middle French aphorisme, from Late Latin aphorismus, from Greek aphorismos definition, aphorism, from aphorizein to define, from apo- + horizein to bound — more at horizon

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More Definitions for aphorism

aphorism

noun
How to pronounce aphorism (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of aphorism

: a short phrase that expresses a true or wise idea

See the full definition for aphorism in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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