Synonyms of fable

fable

noun

ˈfā-bəl 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• allegory
• parable
• tale
• apologue
• narrative
• mythology
• myth
• bestiary
• beast fable
• legend
• morality play

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• myth
• legend
• tale
• story
• allegory
• mythos
• parable
• fiction
• narrative
• fantasy
• invention
• fabrication
• saga
• yarn
• figment

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tale
• fiction
• story
• fantasy
• invention
• fabrication
• novel
• figment
• narrative
• anecdote
• yarn
• lie
• misrepresentation
• fairy tale
• falsehood
• untruth
• prevarication
• falsity
• mendacity
• fib
• whopper
• make-believe

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fact
• reality
• materiality
• actuality
• realness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tale
• lie
• story
• fairy tale
• falsehood
• fabrication
• mendacity
• untruth
• prevarication
• falsity
• fiction
• fib
• whopper
• taradiddle
• ambiguity
• exaggeration
• distortion
• myth
• nonsense
• libel
• defamation
• slander
• obliquity
• half-truth
• fraudulence
• equivocation
• deceit
• perjury
• bluff
• fallacy
• misrepresentation
• canard
• pose
• misconception
• misstatement
• misinformation
• pretense
• duplicity
• humbug
• falsification
• dishonesty
• jive
• deceitfulness
• misreport

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truth
• fact
• truism
• truthfulness
• honesty
• veracity
• confirmation
• verification
• validation
• verity
• authentication
• substantiation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fable

The Holbrook sisters are undersocialized and inexperienced with the world, and Herzog sees them as figures out of a fable, dreamers who talk incessantly about love and seem connected to the elemental and the ancient. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

Abstract Deer Deer are the center of countless fairytales, fables, and general folklore. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 29 Aug. 2026

Sullivan’s Anne first aired on PBS the very same night, for instance, that the erotic multicultural dance fable Flashdance was first shown on network TV. — Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026

Even the 2025 Tigers, the team that staved off a monumental late-season collapse, lives on as a fable highlighting the importance of playing the whole schedule. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026