1
as in allegory
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
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2
as in myth
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
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3
as in tale
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in lie
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fable
Later novels routinely took inspiration from family members or former or current lovers; the 1980 novel that baffled Frank Kermode is a dreamlike fable about a man guiltily trying to have an extramarital affair.
—
Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Animated family films have been a staple of entertainment culture for nearly a century and offer a rich catalog of adventures, fables, fairy tales and dramas.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 27 Jan. 2026
The film presents a fable in which a cop and a machine find their way through the maze of this mystery, essentially arguing that law enforcement should have access to this kind of surveillance.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Or throw it back with some age-old fables or fairy tales.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fable
Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Animated family films have been a staple of entertainment culture for nearly a century and offer a rich catalog of adventures, fables, fairy tales and dramas.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 27 Jan. 2026
The film presents a fable in which a cop and a machine find their way through the maze of this mystery, essentially arguing that law enforcement should have access to this kind of surveillance.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Or throw it back with some age-old fables or fairy tales.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fable
Noun
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Making art is the axis of every lyric here, and his catalogs incline also to allegory.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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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
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The chief human resources officer at $76 billion giant Colgate-Palmolive, Sally Massey, dispelled the myths that Gen Z only brings high standards and chaos to the workplace.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Like the tricksters of myth, there’s depth to their slyness.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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With 16 lie-flat seats at the front of the cabin, passengers can stretch out and settle in for the nearly six-hour flight, transforming a long domestic trip into an experience that feels more like international travel.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
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Since his return to office in 2025, this firehose of lies has only accelerated, distorting everything from economic data to constitutional law.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Plato’s prescient understanding of ICE agents arose during a discussion of the parable of the Ring of Gyges.—
Paul Rosenzweig,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
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Faustian parables unlock more interesting connotations when considered not in terms of politics, but of art.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Continue reading … IN OTHER NEWS BOLD PREDICTION – Cowboys legend makes stunning Super Bowl guarantee after dinner with coach.—
,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The opportunity wasn’t lost on Shula, the rock-solid legend who sat afterward at his locker, openly crying, in a manner that stunned Dolphins personnel.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For a generation raised on viral clips of air‑rage fights and customer‑service meltdowns, the quiet order of a Japanese train car—no loud phone calls, no overflowing trash—reads almost like aspirational fiction.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Ginger Strand Ginger Strand is an American author of nonfiction and fiction.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Besides the deceased, who appears more as a spectre in pictures, letters and memories, the men in this story take a back seat, with three generations of women at the center of the narrative.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.—
Robin Opsahl,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fable. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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