aphorist

American  

[af-er-ist] / ˈæf ər ɪst /

noun

1. a person who makes or uses aphorisms.

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Etymology

Origin of aphorist

First recorded in 1705–15; aphor(ize) + -ist

Example Sentences

The French aphorist François de La Rochefoucauld remarked that “hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

“The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake,” said Savielly Tartakower, a Polish grandmaster from the first half of the 20th century and the game’s greatest aphorist.

From The Guardian • Sep. 14, 2016

But she is at the same time a brisk and satirical aphorist, who often conceals more than she displays.

From The New Yorker • May 18, 2015

Mr. Plummer proves himself an aphorist worthy of inclusion alongside Oscar Wilde and Oscar Levant when he says that middle age is “when you stop combing your hair and start arranging it.”

From New York Times • Aug. 21, 2012

The learned aphorist then points out certain peculiarities of men, by which they are induced to cleave to the bad, and neglect the good.

From Ancient Faiths And Modern A Dissertation upon Worships, Legends and Divinities by Inman, Thomas