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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
As funny as its title suggests, Clam Down transcends its conceit to create a personal fable of transformation, family lore, natural history, and adaptation.
—
Literary Hub
june 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
Highlights this week include four of the greatest R&B divas to ever do it on one stage at Barclays Center, Rena Butler’s take on Aesop’s classic fable with Parsons Dance at The Joyce and a must-see immersive art exhibit in Chelsea celebrating Rolling Stone magazine.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Peter Rabbit himself is presented as a Jesus-like figure, with his countless fables documenting his frequent victories over the evil Mr. McGregor, a farmer in Potter's books but akin to the devil in Rusty Rabbit.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
Image In the American fable, Indigenous people are cast as side characters to innocent explorers fulfilling Manifest Destiny.
—Petala Ironcloud, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fable
Literary Hub
june 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
Highlights this week include four of the greatest R&B divas to ever do it on one stage at Barclays Center, Rena Butler’s take on Aesop’s classic fable with Parsons Dance at The Joyce and a must-see immersive art exhibit in Chelsea celebrating Rolling Stone magazine.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Peter Rabbit himself is presented as a Jesus-like figure, with his countless fables documenting his frequent victories over the evil Mr. McGregor, a farmer in Potter's books but akin to the devil in Rusty Rabbit.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
Image In the American fable, Indigenous people are cast as side characters to innocent explorers fulfilling Manifest Destiny.
—Petala Ironcloud, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fable
Noun
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From debates about the Last Son of Krypton’s immigration status to assertions that director James Gunn intended a Superman subplot to be an allegory of Israel’s war in Gaza, social media is abuzz about Superman, played by David Corenswet in the new movie.—
Vasilis K. Pozios,
HollywoodReporter,
18 July 2025
-
As an immigrant allegory himself, xenophobia feels incredibly strange on Superman.—
Kambole Campbell,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Noun
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Reason 2: The Obsession with Control The second myth plaguing modern business is the assumption that complex systems can be controlled through tighter management processes.—
Tima Bansal,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
-
In my own writing, the process of myth making fascinates me.—
Irenosen Okojie
July 11,
Literary Hub,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
The Coldplay public humiliation is a cautionary tale of atrophied American privacy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
18 July 2025
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That tale is just one of many in the story that don’t show Joel in an especially flattering light.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
18 July 2025
Noun
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Basing a political movement on lies and conspiracy theories is inevitably going to come back to haunt you.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
14 July 2025
-
The misinformation, and sometimes blatant lies, being spread around the country could result in someone stepping into a federal operation and suddenly finding themselves face-to-face with a killer who has nothing to lose.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Noun
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It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story.—
Jann E. Freed,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Some such principles can even be drawn from Christ’s own parables.—
Alejandro Antonio Chafuen,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Noun
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The former defender spent two seasons in Serie A, from 1994 to 1996, just as Serie A legend Marco Materazzi’s career was taking off at Perugia.—
David Ferrini,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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Those 1985 multi-artist shows in London and Philadelphia — which raised the equivalent of $450 million in today’s currency for African famine relief and boasted lineups full of legends and icons of the MTV era (U2, Madonna, Duran Duran) — aimed big and worked better than anyone could have expected.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
Noun
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That is why this fiction is not built on facts, but rather on traversing the labyrinths of memory.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
15 July 2025
-
Girl, 1983 is still more deft in its experiments, subverting conventional ideas about fiction’s use of the truth.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Read the full story by Nick Mardowanec on Newsweek.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
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All credit to Kim Rosenstock and Liz Meriwether for their magnificent scripts that brought Molly and Nikki’s story to life.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fable. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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