1
as in stories
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
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2
as in anecdotes
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally
asked Dad to tell once again the tale of how, as a kid, he broke his arm jumping out of a tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in lies
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
told tall tales in an attempt to impress me with her supposedly upper-crust background
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novellas
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tales
Zeus acting for his own pleasure underlies the evolutionary tales of small groups raiding foreign shores, carrying off women.
—
Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Miyazaki’s singular style — his hand-drawn, painterly aesthetic and his thematic focus on a child’s-eye view of morally complex, humanistic tales — has been treated as the sole Asian animation worthy of entry into the Oscar canon.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Discover medieval tales in Rhodes, where history mingles with the vibrant atmosphere of New Town and Old Town.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren Miller swap funny tales with Sarah Silverman.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
This week’s challenge tests your memory of 21st-century books that were inspired by ancient myths, legends and folk tales.
—New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
There are many examples of cautionary takeover tales, such as the collapse of RKO, one of the most successful, creative mega-studios, after its 1948 purchase by eccentric aviation industrialist Howard Hughes, followed by its flip to General Tire ownership in 1955.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
Fleshing out the hauntingly pretty skeleton of an old palmento (a wine press carved into black lava stone basins with old millstones), Zash Boutique Hotel & Spa’s restaurant sits under a grand peachy house, all blistered by the sun and brimming with tales from its noble past.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
Lurid tales of real-life murders were a staple of pulp magazines.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Miyazaki’s singular style — his hand-drawn, painterly aesthetic and his thematic focus on a child’s-eye view of morally complex, humanistic tales — has been treated as the sole Asian animation worthy of entry into the Oscar canon.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Discover medieval tales in Rhodes, where history mingles with the vibrant atmosphere of New Town and Old Town.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren Miller swap funny tales with Sarah Silverman.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
This week’s challenge tests your memory of 21st-century books that were inspired by ancient myths, legends and folk tales.
—New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
There are many examples of cautionary takeover tales, such as the collapse of RKO, one of the most successful, creative mega-studios, after its 1948 purchase by eccentric aviation industrialist Howard Hughes, followed by its flip to General Tire ownership in 1955.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
Fleshing out the hauntingly pretty skeleton of an old palmento (a wine press carved into black lava stone basins with old millstones), Zash Boutique Hotel & Spa’s restaurant sits under a grand peachy house, all blistered by the sun and brimming with tales from its noble past.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026
Lurid tales of real-life murders were a staple of pulp magazines.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tales
Noun
-
Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Below, Dyens and Miailhe speak to Deadline about the importance of unearthing human stories amid the tragedy of the World War II era.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The book is a collection of three novellas, including the titular Legends of the Fall.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
18 Dec. 2025
-
Works adapted from books or book series, novellas, short stories, graphic novels, plays, or magazine articles remain eligible.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Michael David McKee was arrested over the weekend in Illinois on two counts of murder in the deaths of Monique Tepe and her husband, Spencer.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
-
He will be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail and faces two counts of homicide, one count of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There have been political whispers in South Windsor since the November election about whether the decision disqualifying Amadasun was part of a Republican ploy to keep Democrats from achieving a council supermajority.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
14 Jan. 2026
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And then, there were whispers about health care staff who were a little too vocal, finding their tires slashed when their workday ended.—
Mary Buser,
New York Daily News,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Nikoui died that day along with 12 Marines and other service members and scores of civilians.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Just 37 seconds after going down three scores, Zach Reget finished his third hat trick of the season to get the Comets within two.—
Nathan Dunn,
Kansas City Star,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Mata, 26, was one of the thousands of volunteers who safeguarded vote tallies during the 2024 vote.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
8 Jan. 2026
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This tallies with what Bank of America Research’s Head of US Equity & Quantitative Strategy, Savita Subramanian, told Fortune in August about how companies have learned in the 2020s to generally replace people with process.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tales. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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