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as in allegory
a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life the film is an apologue of sorts, but the message is couched in a zany and action-filled plot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apologue
Noun
  • Blending dark comedy, drama, and suspense, His Weakest Creatures is billed as a sharp allegory of love, survival, and moral compromise, culminating in an unexpected finale.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
  • After their collaboration on The Lobster, director Yorgos Lanthimos cast Farrell in yet another of his symbolic, surreal allegories.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Maybe a bit like the characters in our parable.
    Big Think, Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Frankenstein is the purest of parables—working both as a straight narrative and as a symbolic one.
    Guillermo del Toro, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • According to historical fables, yes.
    Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
  • His movies — farces, fables, experiments — reside in surreal worlds of their own.
    Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Musicalizing the story does little to ground the audience in Jackie’s world and instead pulls and stretches the tale, when the themes alone could speak for themselves.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
  • As the title suggests, this sprawling tale centers on Raja, a man in his sixties who lives with his mother in Beirut, a city shaking with political and ecological turmoil.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
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.

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“Apologue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologue. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

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