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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Recent Examples of fable
Fortnum & Mason does not need a goose from Aesop’s fables to have a golden egg.
—
Air Mail, 4 Apr. 2026
Described as a political fable that combines elements of a crime thriller with epic tragedy, the plot of Minotaur sees a Russian corporate executives preparing to carry out mass layoffs, who discovers his wife is having an affair.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Bellingcat gets its name from an Aesop’s fable, in which a group of mice decide the best way to save themselves from their nemesis the cat is to put a bell around its neck that would alert them to its presence.
—Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
That lurid fable was followed by 2023’s Pictures of Ghosts, an impressionistic documentary that told the parallel stories of Mendonça Filho’s life in movies and Recife’s decaying cinemas.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fable
Air Mail, 4 Apr. 2026
Described as a political fable that combines elements of a crime thriller with epic tragedy, the plot of Minotaur sees a Russian corporate executives preparing to carry out mass layoffs, who discovers his wife is having an affair.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Bellingcat gets its name from an Aesop’s fable, in which a group of mice decide the best way to save themselves from their nemesis the cat is to put a bell around its neck that would alert them to its presence.
—Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
That lurid fable was followed by 2023’s Pictures of Ghosts, an impressionistic documentary that told the parallel stories of Mendonça Filho’s life in movies and Recife’s decaying cinemas.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fable
Noun
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In fact, the allegory travels more easily once it is freed from literalism.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The Persian text is a blend of ornate prose and verse dense with allegory and metaphor.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Originality is a comforting myth.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
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Common myths, such as opening windows or hiding in a southwest corner, are false and can increase danger.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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So does the tale of the tape, which clearly favors New York in its first-round matchup against a pesky Hawks team hoping to pull off an upset.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Dimon delivered a familiar tale that somehow manages to instill calm and panic at the same time.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In an interview with The Times, Sid confessed that the whole thing was a lie concocted by a publicist in the 1940s.—
Anabel Sosa,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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And from that data, the airliner learned that 97 percent of fliers said the lie-flat bed was their reason for flying in Delta One.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jesus, who speaks in parables, not in dicta or dogmas, provides us with a primary instance of the power of the nonliteral tale.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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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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The Swimming Hall of Fame next door, which honors the legends in the diving field, is staying put and will be getting a major makeover, too.—
Joan Murray,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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His father, Lee Hae Chang, a baseball legend in South Korea, said his son couldn’t recognize him upon arrival.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari does something similar with the new movie Blue Heron, a semi-autobiographical piece whose structure loops in on itself, melding fact and fiction into a doleful portrait of a family tragedy.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
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Shot on 16mm, the film blends fiction and documentary and tackles themes ranging from labor rights to gender identity.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That means the street-facing facades cannot be changed although some features, like the second- and third-story windows bricked over by Owen Beidelman, could be restored.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fable. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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