Meaning & use
maxim
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Meaning
nouncountable
A brief saying that sums up a piece of practical advice or a rule for how to behave.
Grammar: Usually followed by of or that: the maxim that honesty pays.
Patterns
- the maxim that something
- a maxim of someone
- follow a maxim
My grandfather lived by the maxim that you should never borrow what you can't repay.
"Measure twice, cut once" is a well-known maxim among carpenters.
The coach's favorite maxim was to play the ball, not the player.
Word forms
| plural | maxims |
|---|
Common combinations
- old maxim
- The old maxim says that practice makes perfect.
- live by a maxim
- She tries to live by the maxim of leaving things better than she found them.
- familiar maxim
- It is a familiar maxim in business that cash is king.
- moral maxim
- The book collects moral maxims for young readers.
- follow the maxim
- Many teachers follow the maxim that every child can learn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- proverb
- A proverb is traditional folk wisdom with no known author, while a maxim can be a modern rule someone adopts as a guide.
- adage
- An adage stresses that a saying has been repeated for a long time, while a maxim stresses its use as a rule.
- motto
- A motto is a short phrase chosen by a person or group to express its aims, while a maxim is more of a general rule.
- axiom
- An axiom is a statement accepted as plainly true, often in logic or science, and not necessarily advice.
Word family
- maxims noun
- plural form, as in a book of maxims
Commonly confused: maxim or maximum?
maxim vs maximum
Maximum means the greatest amount possible; it is unrelated to a wise saying even though the spelling begins the same way.
Practice
Her favorite ______ is "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today."
Choose one answer.
A maxim is a short saying giving practical advice. Maximum is a different word meaning the greatest amount.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “maxim”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.