as in allegories
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 apologues
Noun
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His canvases are populated by allegories.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026 -
In these allegories of dehumanization, greed, and hope, Marshall takes an unvarnished view of his subjects, one that doesn’t sugarcoat the past or succumb to nostalgia for a mythical, precolonial Golden Age.—
James Meyer,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Coogan was poking fun at tech companies’ impulse to name themselves after myths and parables, even when those myths and cultural artifacts have negative associations.—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
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Faustian parables unlock more interesting connotations when considered not in terms of politics, but of art.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Animated family films have been a staple of entertainment culture for nearly a century and offer a rich catalog of adventures, fables, fairy tales and dramas.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
27 Jan. 2026
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Or throw it back with some age-old fables or fairy tales.—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While the story takes place in contemporary times, some of the characters have extraordinary gifts and tell tall tales of a world beyond the realm of most people.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
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Its accounts of outsize personalities, judges’ infighting, culturally insensitive photo shoots, manipulative producing, network executives betraying producers who in turn betrayed talent—all of this comes standard with tales from the annals of the entertainment industry.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Apologues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologues. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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