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
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Recent Examples of parable
In the parable of the cave, in the Republic, Plato compares human beings to cave dwellers who never see the sun, but perceive everything by shadowy firelight.
—
Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
What kind of message would prime Jeezy have presented without the pyrex parables in tow?
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 18 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for parable
Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
What kind of message would prime Jeezy have presented without the pyrex parables in tow?
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 18 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for parable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parable
Noun
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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
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While a campus novel may not seem like the most logical follow-up, Williams' latest — which centers on the friendship between a misanthropic professor's assistant and a student — is another pitch-black allegory told in gothic, obliterative prose.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Clark Shotwell plays the airplane enthusiast who gets a taste of first class – and chicken cordon bleu – flying with his actress mom to Hollywood in a throwback fable from a kid's perspective.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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Wygodny has written original music to subtly accompany Booth’s fable, lending the emotional subtext at points a penumbra of cello.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
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There is a little more to it, as the tale of the boy from Yonkers has some of the same up-and-down flair of the Knicks and Mets during his Hall of Fame career.—
Andrew Marchand,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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And hey, if this movie racks up the views, perhaps the next tale will make it to theaters, with bigger co-stars to boot.—
Mark Meszoros,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parable. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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