1
as in stories
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
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2
as in anecdotes
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally
asked Dad to tell once again the tale of how, as a kid, he broke his arm jumping out of a tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in lies
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
told tall tales in an attempt to impress me with her supposedly upper-crust background
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novelle
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tales
In Budapest, after the uprising against the Communist regime, Andor — raised by his mother with idealized tales of his dead father — has his world turned upside down when a brutish man appears, claiming to be his true father.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
Ledford is a songwriter to watch, spinning urgent, gripping tales of life’s ups and downs in the midst of a wildly colorful and psychedelic musical universe.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
The 2025 honorees in fiction, Deana Carney and Walter Sam, provide us with stories from outside of the carceral state, while essayists Steven Perez and Luzalbert Hernandez offer up tales of life on the inside and the winding roads that lead to incarceration.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Two new offerings show the new lean toward tales of law and order.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
There’s a rich trove of entertaining tales of the wealthy and entitled interacting with their servants.
—Louis J. Esterhazy, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
The scene is a familiar one in these kinds of tales of regression, but Apatow imbues it with a tenderness.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Their empires cracked, their shadows receded, and their names faded into cautionary tales.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Each episode, hosted by police lieutenant Sandra Brown, dives deep into a new mystery, for a total of six tales.
—PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
Ledford is a songwriter to watch, spinning urgent, gripping tales of life’s ups and downs in the midst of a wildly colorful and psychedelic musical universe.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
The 2025 honorees in fiction, Deana Carney and Walter Sam, provide us with stories from outside of the carceral state, while essayists Steven Perez and Luzalbert Hernandez offer up tales of life on the inside and the winding roads that lead to incarceration.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Two new offerings show the new lean toward tales of law and order.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
There’s a rich trove of entertaining tales of the wealthy and entitled interacting with their servants.
—Louis J. Esterhazy, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
The scene is a familiar one in these kinds of tales of regression, but Apatow imbues it with a tenderness.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Their empires cracked, their shadows receded, and their names faded into cautionary tales.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Each episode, hosted by police lieutenant Sandra Brown, dives deep into a new mystery, for a total of six tales.
—PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tales
Noun
-
Understanding the difference between easy stories and harder truths is important for younger people who want to navigate their way through early adult life.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Those stories are important for sure.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Out of all the allegations, a few anecdotes have defined the controversy.—
Allison P. Davis,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
-
There’s just silly claims, silly anecdotes that are designed clearly to play to an audience on Fox News.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In an era of doubt, gaslighting, and lies, the choir needs preaching, too.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
-
And sure as hell, there Daniel is, having lunch with Laura, who has all but forgotten that, as the wise Lilith told her, all lies eventually come out; no matter who has told them, and no matter for what reason.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Timely rains in 2024 fell prior to the survey being conducted, which contributed to the elevated pond counts last year.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
-
There are a lot of gamers now in the world, exceeding three billion by some counts.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The results cast doubt on whether the plumes truly carry whispers of alien life, or merely echoes of lifeless chemistry on the frozen shell.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
And now, after years of whispers, Fred Armisen himself has confirmed that a Wednesday spinoff based on his Uncle Fester is officially in the works.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The four stories and three novellas within it are taken from books Lee published early in his career.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
-
There are also plenty of collections that include novellas, so there are quite a few routes to consider.—
Kristen Arnett
August 21,
Literary Hub,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The director is also sure to face questions about the scores of firings that have rocked the bureau, the FBI’s role in reviewing the Epstein files and a number of other moves that Democrats argue have politicized the FBI.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
15 Sep. 2025
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In Brock Purdy’s stead, Mac Jones stepped in and threw three touchdowns, and Christian McCaffrey — the recipient of one of those touchdowns — became just the third player in NFL history with 50 rushing scores and 30 receiving scores, joining Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The crowded field of candidates for City Council at-large and District 7 races slimmed down following Tuesday’s preliminary municipal election, with unofficial city tallies showing at-large incumbents handily holding onto their spots and two District 7 eking out narrow victories.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Man’s Best Friend had one of the year’s best debut tallies with its 366,000 units moved — though 224,000 of that was in sales, which is likely to recede dramatically in week two.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tales. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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