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

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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 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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fables What turns him on is cryptic babes, brawling men and stagy fables of lust, rivalry and possession. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 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 The collection spans centuries of storytelling in multiple genres, from migratory fairytales with kings and princesses to legends of ghosts and the Devil to fables with talking animals. — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026 Fortnum & Mason does not need a goose from Aesop’s fables to have a golden egg. — Air Mail, 4 Apr. 2026 Both fables and translations are forms of constrained writing. — Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fables
  1. allegories
  2. myths
  3. tales
  4. lies
  5. parables
  6. legends
  7. fictions
  8. stories
Noun
  • There are allegories that can be read about fear of the unknown breeding cruelty and exploitation, but Disclosure Day is first and foremost a propulsive yarn with thematic roots in hope, truth, empathy and perhaps even spirituality.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026
  • Sci-fi stories about alien invasions have often functioned as political allegories for anxieties around empire and immigration, Lechuga says.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Definition of allegories
Noun
  • Host Karina Longworth strips away the sanitized studio myths of Old Hollywood, offering meticulously researched, creative nonfiction that portrays famous icons as relatable, flawed human beings rather than untouchable legends.
    — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • In a country stubbornly attached to myths about the military’s positive transformative power, Platner presented a stark counterfactual.
    — Jasper Craven, New Yorker, 24 July 2026
Definition of myths
Noun
  • The writers of these biblical tales weren’t plagiarizing Homer, MacDonald says.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Some sixteen years later, pop Bildung abounds, thanks largely to online fan communities who can weave the most obscure ephemera into epic tales of redemption.
    — Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of tales
Noun
  • When lies, grief and reality collapse into each other, Tian must choose whether to break the cycle.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 30 July 2026
  • Art to me is a way to find beauty behind the lies and exaggerations.
    — Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of lies
Noun
  • The pair’s mysterious interactions in the early chapters give way to a series of parables of doubt and belief, in which a rational character is confronted by an irrational event—and immediately convinced of its absolute truth.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • Jesus taught his followers by his remarkable example, including innumerable healings, as well as through his sermons and parables.
    — Eric Bashor, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026
Definition of parables
Noun
  • Howe and his players were automatically enshrined as club legends.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • Ironically, in what several key movie-making legends have decried and lamented as a self-destructive move, Hollywood has been training the audience not to head out to theaters, but instead to wait patiently at home.
    — Adam Aron, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of legends
Noun
  • Invasion fictions tended to spring up in response to each new form of invasion panic.
    — Ivan Kreilkamp, JSTOR Daily, 10 June 2026
  • The program also happens to be in line with one of the president’s convenient rhetorical fictions.
    — Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Definition of fictions
Noun
  • This move reflects a broader industry trend of re-evaluating AI integration, emphasizing that while AI creates abundance, unique human contributions like personal stories and opinions are increasingly valuable.
    — William Arruda, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • But then in the editing room, the two stories didn’t fit together.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of stories

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fabled
fables
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Cite this Entry

“Fables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fables. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fables for Spanish Speakers

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