1
as in allegories
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in myths
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in tales
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in lies
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fables
The novel has a freewheeling spirit that recalls Italo Calvino’s space fables in Cosmicomics.
—
Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
The collection spans centuries of storytelling in multiple genres, from migratory fairytales with kings and princesses to legends of ghosts and the Devil to fables with talking animals.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
The Syfy-channel TV show Channel Zero uses some of the best known of these fables as fodder for serialized storytelling.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
That Niall finds Ruben so alluring is natural to Gadd, who believes the notion of a valiant male figure has been bred into everyone via fables and fairy tales.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Fortnum & Mason does not need a goose from Aesop’s fables to have a golden egg.
—Air Mail, 4 Apr. 2026
Both fables and translations are forms of constrained writing.
—Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
The Easter Bunny is on the lookout for the best egg, and along the way, his friends tell him tales and fables.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 9 Mar. 2026
The performance felt both virtuosic and repulsive, a goulash of hype, sloganeering, and calls to violence spiked with in-jokes, shaggy-dog anecdotes, and populist fables, all of it seductive and—in our dangerous era—familiar.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
The collection spans centuries of storytelling in multiple genres, from migratory fairytales with kings and princesses to legends of ghosts and the Devil to fables with talking animals.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
The Syfy-channel TV show Channel Zero uses some of the best known of these fables as fodder for serialized storytelling.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
That Niall finds Ruben so alluring is natural to Gadd, who believes the notion of a valiant male figure has been bred into everyone via fables and fairy tales.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Fortnum & Mason does not need a goose from Aesop’s fables to have a golden egg.
—Air Mail, 4 Apr. 2026
Both fables and translations are forms of constrained writing.
—Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
The Easter Bunny is on the lookout for the best egg, and along the way, his friends tell him tales and fables.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 9 Mar. 2026
The performance felt both virtuosic and repulsive, a goulash of hype, sloganeering, and calls to violence spiked with in-jokes, shaggy-dog anecdotes, and populist fables, all of it seductive and—in our dangerous era—familiar.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fables
Noun
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There are allegories that can be read about fear of the unknown breeding cruelty and exploitation, but Disclosure Day is first and foremost a propulsive yarn with thematic roots in hope, truth, empathy and perhaps even spirituality.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2026
-
Sci-fi stories about alien invasions have often functioned as political allegories for anxieties around empire and immigration, Lechuga says.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Valuations are myths more than science anyway.—
Demetri Giannikopoulos,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
These myths arise for a purpose, for a need that already exists.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
The three longtime friends, who live in adjoining apartments in South London, are about to release one of the year’s most gorgeous full-length debuts with Role Model Hermit (out July 3), a marvel of moody atmospherics, taut rhythms, and strange tales.—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2026
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The child of alcoholics, Dreesen often referenced his rough-and-tumble upbringing in his comedy sets, telling tales of little Tommy shining shoes in the taverns of the South Side to feed his siblings.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
However, what seemed like the perfect life was really a complex house of cards built on lies and insanity.—
David Hookstead OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
For his potential successor, Republicans are left to choose between an outright election denier, Vernon Jones, and a state lawmaker, Tim Fleming, who avoids explicitly disputing the president’s 2020 election lies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Apparently all mothers, even surrogate mothers, were alike, but at least Adele no longer had to fear monitory parables from her real mother.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
On Sundays, O’Neal’s father preached hope from the pulpit, stories of his family intertwined with morals and truths and parables.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Players from Cape Verde who may not be well-known are now going to go down as legends for the squad from the island nation off Africa’s western coast.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
-
Yet some of the world’s most significant scientific and medical sites have accumulated ghost stories, conspiracy theories, and paranormal legends of their own.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Invasion fictions tended to spring up in response to each new form of invasion panic.—
Ivan Kreilkamp,
JSTOR Daily,
10 June 2026
-
The program also happens to be in line with one of the president’s convenient rhetorical fictions.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Noun
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Along the way, the system will also share local stories tied to each place.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
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This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight.—
Rafaela Jinich,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fables. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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