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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in tales
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in lies
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fables
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
Or throw it back with some age-old fables or fairy tales.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
Nurture the geese who lay the golden eggs One of Aesop’s most famous fables is the tale of the goose that laid a golden egg every day until its owner killed it in an attempt to get all the gold at once.
—Sally Percy, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Geminis have a tendency to speak of fables to protect themselves or to make their lives seem more fulfilling.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
His movies — farces, fables, experiments — reside in surreal worlds of their own.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Will there be fables about musical sand dunes on Mars?
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Gossip fed the frenzy of the Salem Witch Trials and has been the subtext of one too many fables where mischief masks moral rot.
—Oriel Feldmanhall, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
The Master is the greatest of them all, a movie peopled by characters who are at once intensely human and also the stuff of otherworldly fables.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
David Faris, TheWeek, 27 Jan. 2026
Or throw it back with some age-old fables or fairy tales.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
Nurture the geese who lay the golden eggs One of Aesop’s most famous fables is the tale of the goose that laid a golden egg every day until its owner killed it in an attempt to get all the gold at once.
—Sally Percy, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Geminis have a tendency to speak of fables to protect themselves or to make their lives seem more fulfilling.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
His movies — farces, fables, experiments — reside in surreal worlds of their own.
—Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Will there be fables about musical sand dunes on Mars?
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Gossip fed the frenzy of the Salem Witch Trials and has been the subtext of one too many fables where mischief masks moral rot.
—Oriel Feldmanhall, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
The Master is the greatest of them all, a movie peopled by characters who are at once intensely human and also the stuff of otherworldly fables.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fables
Noun
-
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
-
One of the persistent myths of the ’90s is that, with the runaway success of Nirvana’s Nevermind, label executives stopped searching for pop stars and focused on regional scenes to uncover unlikely diamonds in the rough like the Goo Goo Dolls.—
Sam Sodomsky,
Pitchfork,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Many myths about surrogacy persist, but the practice remains one that is legal and for which surrogates are fairly compensated.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Join me each week for these and other tales about Des Moines' and Iowa's surprisingly colorful past.—
Bill Steiden,
Des Moines Register,
5 Feb. 2026
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Rockrohr used both sides of this visual coin, telling of groundwork done by the late Harry Teshima to bring Black residents into the community and tales of lasting friendships and stories of insults thrown at Black students.—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Newspaper headlines screamed that Welch had called out McCarthy for his cruelty, his ruthlessness and his lies.—
Kristen Monroe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
There is still time for a course correction, but not if the truth is drowned out with bullying and lies.—
Erick Erickson,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Faustian parables unlock more interesting connotations when considered not in terms of politics, but of art.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
-
What kind of message would prime Jeezy have presented without the pyrex parables in tow?—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
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,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Although lore and legends abound throughout the Highlands, on the Isle of Skye, they are taken to a new level.—
Patti Nickell,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But these have always been legal fictions.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The vast encyclopedic architecture of Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) or Mason & Dixon (1997) gives way here to a series of detective fictions each set in a distinct historical moment, each featuring a reluctant investigator sifting through the wreckage of cultural paranoia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The jury winners this year hail from Mexico, India, Belgium, Japan, France, Italy and Germany, and their stories are set in scenic locales from Malaysia to Minneapolis.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2026
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This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight.—
Rafaela Jinich,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fables. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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