Synonyms of fables

fables

noun

plural of fable

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

• allegories
• parables
• tales
• narratives
• apologues
• mythologies
• myths
• bestiaries
• legends
• beast fables
• morality plays

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

• myths
• legends
• tales
• stories
• allegories
• parables
• mythoi
• fictions
• fantasies
• narratives
• inventions
• sagas
• fabrications
• yarns
• figments

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

• tales
• fictions
• stories
• fantasies
• inventions
• fabrications
• figments
• novels
• anecdotes
• narratives
• yarns
• falsehoods
• lies
• misrepresentations
• fairy tales
• falsities
• fibs
• prevarications
• untruths
• mendacities
• make-believe
• whoppers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• facts
• realities
• materialities
• actualities

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

• tales
• lies
• stories
• falsehoods
• fibs
• prevarications
• fabrications
• untruths
• fairy tales
• falsities
• whoppers
• mendacities
• fictions
• ambiguities
• distortions
• exaggerations
• half-truths
• taradiddles
• libels
• myths
• defamations
• slanders
• equivocations
• nonsense
• deceits
• obliquities
• fallacies
• perjuries
• pretenses
• misconceptions
• bluffs
• falsifications
• misrepresentations
• canards
• misstatements
• fraudulences
• misinformation
• poses
• duplicities
• dishonesties
• humbug
• jives
• misreports

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truths
• facts
• verities
• truisms
• confirmations
• substantiations
• verifications
• validations
• honesties
• authentications
• veracities

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fables

From Roma to All Quiet on the Western Front, Netflix has a long history of successfully campaigning for non-English language historical fables—but can this be the studio’s first movie to scoop the top prize? — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Few eras of Greek history compare to the ancient times that the country has become so synonymous with—the cinematic fables of Odysseus, comic-book lore of Leonidas, and philosophic creeds of Socrates are ever-present in pop culture. — Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026

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

Likewise, Schoenbrun specializes in zeitgeisty fables about 21st century isolation. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Explore the Wild West from the back of a rickety wagon as characters share famed fables about Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox, Pecos Bill, John Henry and Hekeke. — Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 10 July 2026

In 1964, Time, which then had a circulation of more than 3 million, ran a cover story on John Cheever, the author known for his dark fables of suburban malaise. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

My dad’s stories about his grade-school experience felt like dark fables, peppered with slurs hurled at him by classmates. — Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026

The novel has a freewheeling spirit that recalls Italo Calvino’s space fables in Cosmicomics. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026