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 novelle
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
In Budapest, after the uprising against the Communist regime, Andor — raised by his mother with idealized tales of his dead father — has his world turned upside down when a brutish man appears, claiming to be his true father.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
Ledford is a songwriter to watch, spinning urgent, gripping tales of life’s ups and downs in the midst of a wildly colorful and psychedelic musical universe.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
The 2025 honorees in fiction, Deana Carney and Walter Sam, provide us with stories from outside of the carceral state, while essayists Steven Perez and Luzalbert Hernandez offer up tales of life on the inside and the winding roads that lead to incarceration.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Two new offerings show the new lean toward tales of law and order.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
There’s a rich trove of entertaining tales of the wealthy and entitled interacting with their servants.
—Louis J. Esterhazy, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
The scene is a familiar one in these kinds of tales of regression, but Apatow imbues it with a tenderness.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Their empires cracked, their shadows receded, and their names faded into cautionary tales.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Each episode, hosted by police lieutenant Sandra Brown, dives deep into a new mystery, for a total of six tales.
—PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
Ledford is a songwriter to watch, spinning urgent, gripping tales of life’s ups and downs in the midst of a wildly colorful and psychedelic musical universe.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
The 2025 honorees in fiction, Deana Carney and Walter Sam, provide us with stories from outside of the carceral state, while essayists Steven Perez and Luzalbert Hernandez offer up tales of life on the inside and the winding roads that lead to incarceration.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Two new offerings show the new lean toward tales of law and order.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
There’s a rich trove of entertaining tales of the wealthy and entitled interacting with their servants.
—Louis J. Esterhazy, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
The scene is a familiar one in these kinds of tales of regression, but Apatow imbues it with a tenderness.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Their empires cracked, their shadows receded, and their names faded into cautionary tales.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Each episode, hosted by police lieutenant Sandra Brown, dives deep into a new mystery, for a total of six tales.
—PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tales
Noun
-
Understanding the difference between easy stories and harder truths is important for younger people who want to navigate their way through early adult life.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Those stories are important for sure.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Use Vulnerable Anecdotes Use anecdotes that show your scars, not just your successes.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Among the many star-studded anecdotes in his book, Sheen alleged that Clinton once tried to make a move on his then-girlfriend, Dolly Fox.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Watch to comprehend how sinister the lies are the Zionist crowd is trying to tell right now.—
Mandy Taheri
Jason Lemon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Among the most persistent examples of those divisions are the lies and misinformation about elections that have spread for years through online social channels.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Timely rains in 2024 fell prior to the survey being conducted, which contributed to the elevated pond counts last year.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
-
There are a lot of gamers now in the world, exceeding three billion by some counts.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
His arrival stirs faint whispers under the Song statues and quietly nudges Hongmei’s buried past toward the surface.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
-
For many years, menopause was something women discussed only in whispers with close friends or family.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One of the authors that Covici brought along with him to Viking was a young writer named John Steinbeck; his company had published Steinbeck’s novellas Tortilla Flat in 1935 and Of Mice and Men in 1937.—
Paul Slovak
September 16,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The four stories and three novellas within it are taken from books Lee published early in his career.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The director is also sure to face questions about the scores of firings that have rocked the bureau, the FBI’s role in reviewing the Epstein files and a number of other moves that Democrats argue have politicized the FBI.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
15 Sep. 2025
-
In Brock Purdy’s stead, Mac Jones stepped in and threw three touchdowns, and Christian McCaffrey — the recipient of one of those touchdowns — became just the third player in NFL history with 50 rushing scores and 30 receiving scores, joining Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Nina Sly had both tallies as Boston Latin doubled up Cambridge 2-1 in a Dual County League matchup.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Multiple New Bestsellers Throughout the Past Few Years For a musician who doesn’t write and record new material any longer — or at least who hasn’t for quite some time — Mitchell is on quite the winning streak on the two tallies where Joni Jazz debuts.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tales. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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