1
as in story
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 anecdote
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
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3
as in lie
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novella
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 tale
History offers a cautionary tale about what happens when movements turn inward.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
Chef tells the tale of his Indian homeland flavors in inventive modern expressions of traditional taste profiles.
—
Carinne Geil Botta,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
The spectacularly antic tale of originals and doubles, locals and outsiders, visually and philosophically lampoons the very concept of identity.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
26 June 2026
This is a competent if unimaginative (it was made for Lifetime, after all) retelling of the real-life tale.
—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
28 June 2026
Chef tells the tale of his Indian homeland flavors in inventive modern expressions of traditional taste profiles.
—
Carinne Geil Botta,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
The spectacularly antic tale of originals and doubles, locals and outsiders, visually and philosophically lampoons the very concept of identity.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
26 June 2026
This is a competent if unimaginative (it was made for Lifetime, after all) retelling of the real-life tale.
—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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The Sacramento Bee published several notable stories Friday covering local government, public health and state worker policy.
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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.
Noun
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The lawsuit alleges that this was a lie and that neither of LeVota’s tax plans were created at the direction of the state.
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Well, the first principle to embrace is work-life balance is a lie.
Noun
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Hemingway, who championed self-mastery, gave the old fisherman in his novella exactly one consolation out there alone in the Gulf Stream, the thought of the great DiMaggio, who did everything perfectly even with the bone spur in his heel.
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Based on a novella by Neil Paik, who is adapting, the film’s logline is being kept under wraps.
Noun
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The request calls for a guest count of between 500 and 999 people, along with tents outside Madison Square Garden and street closures around the iconic venue.
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Eliseo Mauala was indicted by a Denton County grand jury on June 25 on two counts of collision involving death, Pilot Point police said in a news release.
Noun
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Theories, speculation and whispers were hard to ignore, but even harder to prove.
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The whispers about the 41-year-old turned louder.
Noun
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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.
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But the turtle/cat comment just sounds like a summary of Aesop’s absolute worst fable.
Noun
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That laidback electronic tune has spent four of its 12 weeks on the Official Singles Downloads tally in the penthouse.
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But the total tally obscures how there were basically two types of Davis residents, those living close to the project and those living elsewhere in town.
Noun
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Reading scores among high school seniors are at their lowest in decades, according to federal testing data, while schools across the country are grappling with how to respond to waning attention spans and artificial intelligence.
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Kaishu Sano stole a pass in the middle of the field and then did the rest, running down the middle of the pitch before burying a right-footed strike into the left side of the goal, his first score in international play.
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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