apophthegm

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.

A proverb is distinguished from a maxim or an apophthegm by that brevity which condenses a thought or a metaphor, where one thing is said and another is to be applied.

From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 3 by Disraeli, Isaac

But after nigh six months of palpitating negotiations with the adorable Mrs. Glamorys, the poet, in a moment of dejection, penned the prose apophthegm, "It is of no use trying to change a changeable person."

From The Grey Wig: Stories and Novelettes by Zangwill, Israel

In Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil there is an apophthegm to the effect that, "Insanity in individuals is something rare—but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule."

From A Poor Man's House by Reynolds, Stephen Sydney

The lump of earth, being taken somewhat by surprise, was not prepared with an apophthegm, and said nothing.

From Cobwebs from an Empty Skull by Bierce, Ambrose

The apophthegm of the Doge might have been pertinently applied to Louis XVIII. by the people.

From Memoirs of the Private Life, Return, and Reign of Napoleon in 1815, Vol. I by Fleury de Chaboulon, Pierre Alexandre Édouard, baron