fable

noun

ˈfā-bəl How to pronounce fable (audio)
Definition of fablenext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fable The Little Prince is one of those books that is thought of as both a philosophical fable for children and adults. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 17 July 2026 Explore the Wild West from the back of a rickety wagon as characters share famed fables about Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox, Pecos Bill, John Henry and Hekeke. — Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 10 July 2026 My dad’s stories about his grade-school experience felt like dark fables, peppered with slurs hurled at him by classmates. — Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026 But the turtle/cat comment just sounds like a summary of Aesop’s absolute worst fable. — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for fable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fable
  1. allegory
  2. myth
  3. tale
  4. lie
  5. parable
  6. legend
  7. fiction
  8. story
Noun
  • That story can be read as an allegory for how our memories and imaginations work as readers.
    — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Los Angeles is an ideal locale for such soul-searching, and being a stranger in a strange land — who finds other strangers there, too — forms a poignant, effective allegory (that’s also graciously restrained).
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of allegory
Noun
  • There are also myths about how to manage customer experiences designed to thrill customers.
    — Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The fact that such men are in short supply, and that this romanticized myth didn’t even remotely compare with the lives such men actually lived, is of little concern to today’s masculinists.
    — Michael Kimmel, Time, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of myth
Noun
  • No two tales of what happened to Maelor after his knight protector was shot dead agree, but the young boy was also slain on the bridge, perhaps torn apart by the mob who assailed him, arguing over what to do with the young prince.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • This time, though, there’s more heavy metal influence — more guitar, more drums, more church organ, more attitude — to complement Cathedral’s grim tale.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of tale
Noun
  • Lindsay Clancy defense wants influencer to expose hospital ‘lies’ as judge warns ‘this is not Tripadvisor’.
    — , FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Broad Peak, which rises 8,051 meters (26,414 feet) above sea level in the Karakoram range, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and lies near K2, the world’s second-highest peak.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of lie
Noun
  • Mandela’s life and South Africa’s history should never be flattened into a corporate parable.
    — Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The pair’s mysterious interactions in the early chapters give way to a series of parables of doubt and belief, in which a rational character is confronted by an irrational event—and immediately convinced of its absolute truth.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of parable
Noun
  • The Argentina team put out a statement announcing Jorge Messi's death at age 68, which said that the soccer legend will be attending a private memorial service.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • More for your Sunday Read The Sun’s decision to honor Alyssa Thomas as one of the franchise legends was a popular one.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of legend
Noun
  • For the science-fiction concepts underpinning that world, including gravity control, faster-than-light communication and cognitive materialization, Kamiyama worked with novelist Toh EnJoe, credited as SF setting supervisor, as an outside arbiter.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In the new science-fiction mystery The End of Oak Street, Hathaway stars alongside Ewan McGregor as a couple whose family comes face-to-face with dinosaurs in their neighborhood.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of fiction
Noun
  • The week’s biggest stories Animal and pet sagas Big Bear celebrity eagle Shadow has been seen with a new eagle at the nest.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • As a preteen, I became absorbed in the life of Davy Crockett, Wild Bill Hickok and others through stories written for my age group.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of story

Browse Nearby Words

fab
fable
fabled
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Cite this Entry

“Fable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fable. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fable

Nglish: Translation of fable for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fable

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