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
Relevance
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 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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
Its instructions are vague, its arguments belabored and its absurdist fables too plentiful.
—Book Marks
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 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
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
Oriel Feldmanhall, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
Its instructions are vague, its arguments belabored and its absurdist fables too plentiful.
—Book Marks
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fables
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Her story, told only by others, generated myths and legends.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
At the Flow Space Women’s Health Summit on October 14 in Los Angeles, three expert doctors convened for a panel to bust myths and talk about what role GLP-1s play in the emerging science about metabolic health.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
It is rooted in the dehumanizing language and convenient fictions that precede acts of violence.—
Brad Braxton,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Who among us hasn’t fantasized in the shower about exacting elaborate revenge for petty upsets, or lain awake trying to reframe our humiliations as epic tales of triumph?—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Molina shares a cell with revolutionary Valentín Arregui (Diego Luna), and the two men bond as Molina tells tales of his favorite mid-century movie star, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez), and her best film, Kiss of the Spider Woman.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These parables sometimes read like gibberish, talking both down and up to the reader.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Then there’s this weird other, like Mae got really into parables.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
From viral hits to iconic music legends, the remaining couples will dance through a variety of creative challenges, culminating in the finale.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Beloved legends elaborated, not debunked Zarka is expanding her role as an authority on all matters monster with a book on cryptids.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Want more Outside health stories?—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Don't miss out on our latest stories.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And when investigators received a bizarre phone call about Cliff’s property being sold, a 10-year saga riddled with conspiracy, cons, and lies began.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
15 Oct. 2025
-
That’s where Israel’s future lies.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fables. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share