Synonyms for saying

Listen See in Dictionary See in a sentence

modified

mentioning, making clear, revealing, pointing out, giving out, remarking, noting, announcing, noticing, claiming, stating, affirming, maintaining, asserting, attesting to, certifying to, testifying to, alleging, informing, phrasing, stressing, demonstrating, averring, avouching, vouching, insisting on, publicizing, advertising, making public, swearing, implying, propounding, observing, drafting a proposition, making an announcement, making a statement, making a declaration.

go without saying

be obvious, be self-evident, need no justification.

noun

aphorism, saw, adage, maxim, apothegm, epigram, gnome, byword, motto, proverb, precept, dictum.

saying is the simple, direct term for any pithy expression of wisdom or truth; a saw is an old, homely saying that is well worn by repetition the preacher filled his sermon with wise saws; a maxim is a general principle drawn from practical experience and serving as a rule of conduct (Ex.: ""Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee''); an adage is a saying that has been popularly accepted over a long period of time (Ex.: ""Where there's smoke, there's fire''); a proverb is a piece of practical wisdom expressed in homely, concrete terms (Ex.: ""A penny saved is a penny earned''); a motto is a maxim chosen to express a guiding principle or goal of a nation, group, etc. (Ex.: ""E pluribus unum'') or accepted as an ideal of behavior (Ex.: ""Honesty is the best policy''); an aphorism is a terse saying embodying a general, more or less profound truth or principle (Ex.: ""He is a fool that cannot conceal his wisdom''); an epigram is a terse, witty, pointed statement that often gains its effect by ingenious antithesis (Ex.: ""The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it'')

See saying in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II

noun

Something said:
statement, utterance, word. See words
A usually pithy and familiar statement expressing an observation or principle generally accepted as wise or true:
adage, aphorism, byword, maxim, motto, proverb, saw. See words

See saying in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Synonyms

saying maxim adage saw ²motto epigram proverb aphorism

These nouns refer to concise verbal expressions setting forth wisdom or a truth. A saying is an often repeated and familiar expression: a collection of philosophical sayings.
Maxim denotes particularly an expression of a general truth or a rule of conduct: “For a wise man, he seemed to me … to be governed too much by general maxims” (Edmund Burke).
Adage applies to a saying that has gained credit through long use: a gift that gave no credence to the adage, “Good things come in small packages.”
Saw often refers to a familiar saying that has become trite through frequent repetition: old saws that gave little comfort to the losing team.
A motto expresses the aims, character, or guiding principles of a person, group, or institution: “Exuberance over taste” is my motto.
An epigram is a witty expression, often paradoxical or satirical and neatly or brilliantly phrased: In his epigram Samuel Johnson called remarriage a “triumph of hope over experience.”
Proverb refers to an old and popular saying that illustrates something such as a basic truth or a practical precept: “Slow and steady wins the race” is a proverb to live by.
Aphorism, denoting a concise expression of a truth or principle, implies depth of content and stylistic distinction: Few writers have coined more aphorisms than Benjamin Franklin.

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