English Dictionary

proverbial

/pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/

adj

Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale. / Not used in a literal sense, but as the subject of a well-known metaphor. / Widely known; famous; stereotypical.

He is the proverbial example of success.

意味（1）

Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale.

Doris: You're making me feel like the proverbial stepmother.

意味（2）

Not used in a literal sense, but as the subject of a well-known metaphor.

the proverbial smoking gun

意味（3）

Widely known; famous; stereotypical.

I grew up in a prefab house on Main Street in 1950s suburbia, the second and last child of a proverbial nuclear family.