as in allegory
a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life
the parable in which the repentant sinner is compared to the returning prodigal son who is welcomed home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 parable
The wordplay is as colorful as the sonics are sedate, tag-team player parables sailing over production seeking a slippery middle ground between East and West Coast throwback jams.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The musical features a ragtag group who help Jesus tell various parables.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
This more ambitious effort, reflective of his Coptic Christian background, will stand or fall for viewers as a parable of faith versus doubt.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Maybe a bit like the characters in our parable.
—Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parable
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The musical features a ragtag group who help Jesus tell various parables.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
This more ambitious effort, reflective of his Coptic Christian background, will stand or fall for viewers as a parable of faith versus doubt.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Maybe a bit like the characters in our parable.
—Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parable
Noun
-
Making art is the axis of every lyric here, and his catalogs incline also to allegory.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Coogler's Jim Crow-era film -- the rare horror movie to win the academy's favor -- conjures a mythical allegory of Black life.—
JAKE COYLE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This poetic, interactive solo-theater piece blends fable and modern-day storytelling.—
Caroline Ritzie,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The Grand Prix winner of last year’s Cannes Critics Week, filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s snaky, surprising fable starts with a sneeze and explodes into a saga about bureaucracy, modernization and moral corruption.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The film vaguely follows the basic outline of the first half of the novel, heavily streamlining the twisted tale of family strife and generational trauma into a more conventional tragic romance centered squarely on Catherine and Heathcliff.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The least satisfying tales involve a group of reasonable counterparties teaming up against a single aggressor, like an Indiana man who’s turned his grandmother’s house into an unauthorized urban farm.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parable. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
