as in proverb
an often stated observation regarding something from common experience
it's a common maxim that "a watched pot never boils," but that's not literally true
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Recent Examples of maxim
Yet this is more than a pithy maxim, it’s grounded in science.
—
Margie Warrell, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Bringing out the Dickensian maxim about the worst of times abutting the best hardly begins to do justice to such an abrupt reversal of fortune.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Jan. 2025
And Jim came up with a maxim for the ones about politics.
—Al Franken, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
Here, 18 members of Forbes Coaches Council share powerful maxims, sayings, phrases and adages founders can turn to when challenges arise.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maxim
Margie Warrell, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Bringing out the Dickensian maxim about the worst of times abutting the best hardly begins to do justice to such an abrupt reversal of fortune.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Jan. 2025
And Jim came up with a maxim for the ones about politics.
—Al Franken, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
Here, 18 members of Forbes Coaches Council share powerful maxims, sayings, phrases and adages founders can turn to when challenges arise.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maxim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maxim
Noun
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But Bluey’s comforted when Calypso tells her a proverb about a farmer who trusts everything will turn out the way it’s meant to be.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
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Whitaker nicknamed the place Sparrow Hall, a reference to a medieval saint’s proverb about a sparrow who flies over a royal banquet, feeling only a brief moment of warmth.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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There is a saying among lawyers and crisis communications professionals: A coverup is often worse than the crime or crisis itself.—
Rick Pozniak,
Boston Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
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Diet As the saying goes, everything starts with your diet—and that includes bone health.—
Melanie Curry,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Unfortunately, the question of how much worth is placed on an Israeli life versus a Palestinian one is answered mostly in words, and thus, in too direct (and perhaps too didactic) a fashion, when so much of the movie’s drama could have grounded it emotionally.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
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So Far The word takes on a whole other meaning, however, once Violet enters the swank joint.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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She’s got so many mottos, so many mantras, so many things to say about the zodiac.—
Zoe Papelis,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
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Still, their motto holds firm: Nothing but the Best.—
Javier Hasse,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The old adage is that moms have eyes in the back of their heads, but a new study shows that women in general may also have more sensitive hearing.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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But that adage doesn’t go nearly far enough to convey the enormity of the likely fallout from US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a colossal set of new tariffs on America’s trading partners.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maxim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maxim. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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