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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fable
Wygodny has written original music to subtly accompany Booth’s fable, lending the emotional subtext at points a penumbra of cello.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 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
On the other hand, pushing against this inevitability is a much more intriguing concept than simply presenting it as-is, over and over again, even when its specifics are disguised by a fable.
—Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
The crime thriller is understood to also be a political and moral fable, as the title, which is a nod to Greek mythology, hints at.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fable
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 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
On the other hand, pushing against this inevitability is a much more intriguing concept than simply presenting it as-is, over and over again, even when its specifics are disguised by a fable.
—Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
The crime thriller is understood to also be a political and moral fable, as the title, which is a nod to Greek mythology, hints at.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fable
Noun
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It can be read as a direct allegory for conversion therapy and for other ways that homophobia can alter behavior and cause lasting psychological and emotional damage.—
Jen Yamato,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
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Hawthorne’s tale is not just an allegory of the Revolution.—
John Swansburg,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Advertisement Part of why this myth persists, Masland says, is that the hardest moments are the most visible ones.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
11 June 2026
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Their saliva causes intense itching and irritation in humans and animals — so much so that the common myth is that chiggers bury into the skin and stay.—
Eva Flowe
June 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 June 2026
Noun
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However, the demise of a similar project in Serbia offers a cautionary tale.—
Zana Cimili,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
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One morning earlier this week, Thomas Lupo, the president and CEO of the American Wood Column Corporation, was in his office regaling two young entrepreneurs with tales of his 110-year-old family business.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Undoubtedly one of the toughest courses in the world, Shinnecock is a par-70 links-style course with uneven lies, deep rough along the fairway with random fescue, elevation changes and brutally difficult greens.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
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Citizens become commodities; technology increases the power of an already powerful few; pop culture serves up mechanized slop; truth and lies commingle.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Noun
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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
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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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First up are the legends, players who have competed at the highest levels for years and figure to do the same again in the coming weeks.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
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John Summit, meanwhile, is becoming a household name as one of the biggest DJ’s on the planet, while Mike D — already a legend as a founder of one of hip-hop’s seminal groups — is set to release his first-ever solo album later this summer.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Here are this week’s Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers for fiction, based on sales in hundreds of independent bookstores nationwide, generously provided by the American Booksellers Association.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Drawing on generations of Chinatown family lore and silences, See turns China City’s vanished streets and her ancestors’ immigrant gambles into a historical fiction layered with stories of survival and belonging.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Balogun's big night marked a historic moment in one of the more fascinating American soccer stories in USMNT history.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
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This story has been updated with new information and to add video.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fable. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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