1
as in allegories
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 myths
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 fictions
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 tales
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 fables
Modern horror is at the forefront of political movements and are the fables of our time.
—
American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Allusions to myths, fables, and riffs on common idioms abound, many of them evocative and quite funny.
—Lora Kelley, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2025
American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Allusions to myths, fables, and riffs on common idioms abound, many of them evocative and quite funny.
—Lora Kelley, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fables
Noun
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Over the past 20 years of Black List darlings and Edgar Wright rip-offs, the American film industry has established a new archetype of cinema filled with quippy antiheroes, gory allegories for domestic strife, and character actors rattling off reference humor.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
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The Terror from Beyond Space served up slimy green men and Red Scare allegories, the period covered by Baron abounds with optimism and wonder.—
David Kamp,
Air Mail,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Narrated through Maeda’s own reflections, the film charts his journey from Tokyo childhood to culinary reinvention in the Basque Country, anchoring his dishes in local landscapes and myths.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
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Sound is also an important element in the film, encapsulating creation myths about sound and vibration being the source of all matter, ideas which are also present in string theory and quantum mechanics.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The End, the past year has seen a surge in speculative fictions about super-rich characters who hunker down in expensive isolation as the world burns.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
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It is rooted in the dehumanizing language and convenient fictions that precede acts of violence.—
Brad Braxton,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Author Alma Katsu and writer-librarian Becky Spratford sat down for a conversation to discuss exactly why readers are more interested in horror — including everything from ghost stories to tales of serial killers — than ever before.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
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Some put feathers in their hair and spun unbelievable tales while casually slinging a sport coat over their shoulder (Coach from Tocantins).—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Then there’s this weird other, like Mae got really into parables.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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Throughout, in interviews with Costa, Malafaia justifies his political aspiration with Biblical parables.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
24 Sep. 2025
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Instead, Silent Hill f takes its protagonist to haunting grounds squarely her own, using Japanese folklore, myths, and other legends to paint the unnerving small town.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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My process began with spending time together, building trust, sharing stories, before discussing ideas, moving objects, adjusting interiors, and staging moments that echoed each family’s rituals or memories.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
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Part of that change is through telling diverse stories of older people, which Mirren has continuously done, often going against conventional expectations for an older actress as well.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Curb’s team brought Susie’s rants, Jeff’s lies, Cheryl’s suffering and Leon’s bad advice to life, scene by scene, set by set, edit by edit.—
THR Staff,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
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Like many people, she was taken in by his lies.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fables. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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