Meaning & use
pearls of wisdom
Last updated
Meaning
phrasepluralhumorous
Wise and valuable advice or remarks, often of a short, quotable kind.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase: his pearls of wisdom are always short.
Patterns
- pearls of wisdom from someone
- drop pearls of wisdom
My grandmother shared pearls of wisdom about money over tea.
The coach finished with a few pearls of wisdom for the young players.
Thanks for the pearls of wisdom, but I have already tried that.
Word forms
| singular | a pearl of wisdom |
|---|
Common combinations
- drop pearls of wisdom
- He likes to drop pearls of wisdom at family dinners.
- offer pearls of wisdom
- The author offers pearls of wisdom on every page.
- pearls of wisdom from
- We gathered pearls of wisdom from the retired teachers.
- a few pearls of wisdom
- She left us with a few pearls of wisdom.
- share pearls of wisdom
- The speaker will share pearls of wisdom about careers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- words of wisdom
- Words of wisdom is the plainer and more widely used phrase, without the jewelled imagery.
- gems
- Gems stresses that the advice is valuable and short, while pearls of wisdom adds a slightly grand or comic tone.
- nuggets
- Nuggets suggests practical, useful tips rather than deep thoughts.
- maxims
- Maxims are fixed sayings stating general rules, whereas pearls of wisdom can be fresh remarks.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pearls of wisdom or pearls before swine?
pearls of wisdom vs pearls before swine
This is a different idiom meaning to offer something valuable to people who cannot appreciate it.
Practice
After the meeting, the old director left the interns with a few ______ about patience.
Choose one answer.
Pearls of wisdom means valuable bits of advice. The other noun phrases are real expressions but do not mean advice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pearls of wisdom”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.