Synonyms of tales

tales

noun

plural of tale

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stories
• whispers
• canards
• gossip
• talks
• fables
• lies
• scuttlebutt
• libels
• slanders
• tattles
• hearsay
• defamations
• dirty laundry
• dirt
• fibs
• falsehoods
• fairy tales
• prevarications
• talebearings
• fabrications
• untruths
• mendacities
• whoppers
• falsities

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

• stories
• anecdotes
• yarns
• incidents
• episodes
• occurrences
• events
• happenings
• recitations
• recitals

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

• stories
• lies
• fables
• fibs
• fairy tales
• falsehoods
• prevarications
• fabrications
• untruths
• whoppers
• falsities
• mendacities
• ambiguities
• fictions
• distortions
• exaggerations
• half-truths
• taradiddles
• libels
• myths
• defamations
• slanders
• equivocations
• obliquities
• deceits
• nonsense
• perjuries
• misconceptions
• bluffs
• fallacies
• pretenses
• poses
• misinformation
• misrepresentations
• fraudulences
• misstatements
• duplicities
• falsifications
• canards
• dishonesties
• humbug
• jives
• misreports

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truths
• facts
• verities
• truisms
• confirmations
• substantiations
• verifications
• validations
• honesties
• authentications
• veracities

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stories
• novellas
• narratives
• yarns
• short stories
• histories
• fables
• anecdotes
• jokes
• myths
• novelettes
• legends
• romances
• parables
• records
• annals
• reports
• folktales
• fairy tales
• chronicles
• exempla
• bedtime stories
• accounts

5

as in counts

a total number obtained or recorded by noting each thing as it was being added

when the tale of the dead from the disaster is announced, the city will be in shock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• counts
• scores
• tallies
• censuses
• amounts
• recounts
• totals
• sums
• wholes
• grosses

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tales

The second book, Shift, consists of alternating flashback sequences, telling both the origin story of the silos and tales from past rebellions. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026

The movie is inspired by Gavras’ affinity for mythology, having grown up listening to his father interweave tales with myths. — Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026

The two dashing newcomers have since been regaling the Georgia Aquarium’s existing belugas, a quartet of females*, with tales of their peregrinations. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026

For the next eight years, Holmes lay dead at the bottom of the Swiss falls while Doyle branched out into historical fiction, science fiction, horror tales, and medical stories. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

The genre has become increasingly important to streamers as stories about first loves, high school drama and coming-of-age tales connect with a wide demographic, from young people to older generations. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Instead of ghost tales, the young cast was eager to get advice from the brothers. — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Again, there were far fewer serial killers in Murphy’s own tales, but the message was the same. — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026

But also multi-country emigration tales, as in Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026