1
as in allegory
a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life
this classic Christmas film is essentially a fable showing how every person's life has meaning and touches the lives of others
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2
as in myth
a traditional but unfounded story that gives the reason for a current custom, belief, or fact of nature
according to an ancient fable the waters of the mountain spring are the tears of a woman weeping for her lost children
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3
as in tale
something that is the product of the imagination
the stories of lost cities of gold may have been fables deliberately concocted by Native Americans to dupe the Spanish
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4
as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
the fables that people tell themselves to rationalize their failures and shortcomings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fable
Some will read Schlink’s latest as an inspiring fable of intergenerational unity and redemption.
—
Randy Boyagoda, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
Born in 1906 in the strongly Catholic, conservative Veneto region, to a haut-bourgeois family with aristocratic ancestors on both sides, Buzzati started writing dreamlike fables in the Thirties, when Bontempelli’s magic realism helped shape the scene.
—Christopher Tayler, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The stories of those two parking garages, opened nearly a century apart, can be read as a fable with a ringing moral: Make buildings nimble.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 12 Dec. 2024
This is a fable of an angry man who learns that throwing pots at people's heads doesn't earn Michelin stars.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fable 
Randy Boyagoda, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
Born in 1906 in the strongly Catholic, conservative Veneto region, to a haut-bourgeois family with aristocratic ancestors on both sides, Buzzati started writing dreamlike fables in the Thirties, when Bontempelli’s magic realism helped shape the scene.
—Christopher Tayler, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The stories of those two parking garages, opened nearly a century apart, can be read as a fable with a ringing moral: Make buildings nimble.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 12 Dec. 2024
This is a fable of an angry man who learns that throwing pots at people's heads doesn't earn Michelin stars.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fable
Noun
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Trains that are promised to get to this destination are an allegory of a system.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Feb. 2025
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In that sense, Cronenberg’s films are eerily prescient allegories of our present-day techverse and proselytizing profiteers like Sam Altman and Elon Musk.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Officials in New York City have tried to present facts and dispel myths circulating online about ICE actions, though this hasn’t eased concerns.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
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The mysterious circumstances of his death only added to his Gothic-y myth—which, 176 year later, is as potent as ever.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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And, in Washington, the 2004 tale of love and short-term memory loss took the crown.—
Melissa Santos,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
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Their vocal chemistry and mutual affinity for a retro-country sound is undeniable, and this tale of an evening spent drinking, singing karaoke and hoping this dive-bar connection could turn into more serves as a perfect sonic setting.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After being exposed as a fraud, Gibson attempted to wipe all traces of her lies from the internet.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
8 Feb. 2025
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In addition, one out-of-town entity has expressed interest in purchasing the entire golf course, but that offer lies outside the committee’s purview.—
Contributed Content,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Bathed in a pink-pop glow, its pastiche of romance and horror collide in a viciously mischievous parable of technology and control that speaks to these most anxious times.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
22 Jan. 2025
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From Timothy Snyder’s chilling parables of fascism abroad to Heather Cox Richardson’s portraits of extremism at home, our leading professional historians have played no small part in entrenching this sequence as the fundamental narrative of our time.—
Matthew Karp,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Launched in 2021 as an online-exclusive, these photography-centric cards use some of the finest and most distinctive images of the NBA’s top rookies, stars, and legends.—
Tyler Holzhammer,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
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Later, Curry and other celebrities opened the new Bill Russell Gymnasium, named after the Boston Celtics legend and the most famous graduate of McClymonds High School.—
Jose Carlos Fajardo,
The Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The executive brings 34 years of industry experience, including 29 years at Sony, with expertise spanning sales, content strategy, and programming across films, music, fiction, and non-fiction entertainment.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
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Robinson started out making films, but quickly transitioned to painting, translating the noirish women and gun-toting men of pulp fiction to canvas.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The reporter on this story received access to this experience from Sandals.—
Eve Chen,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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This story was originally published in July 2019, and was update don February 11, 2025, to include current information.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
AFAR Media,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near fable
Cite this Entry
“Fable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fable. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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