fables

noun

plural of fable
1
as in allegories
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 myths
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 tales
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 lies
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fables Likewise, Schoenbrun specializes in zeitgeisty fables about 21st century isolation. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 Explore the Wild West from the back of a rickety wagon as characters share famed fables about Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox, Pecos Bill, John Henry and Hekeke. — Nicole Bennett, AJC.com, 10 July 2026 In 1964, Time, which then had a circulation of more than 3 million, ran a cover story on John Cheever, the author known for his dark fables of suburban malaise. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 My dad’s stories about his grade-school experience felt like dark fables, peppered with slurs hurled at him by classmates. — Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026 The novel has a freewheeling spirit that recalls Italo Calvino’s space fables in Cosmicomics. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 The collection spans centuries of storytelling in multiple genres, from migratory fairytales with kings and princesses to legends of ghosts and the Devil to fables with talking animals. — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026 Fortnum & Mason does not need a goose from Aesop’s fables to have a golden egg. — Air Mail, 4 Apr. 2026 Both fables and translations are forms of constrained writing. — Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fables
  1. allegories
  2. myths
  3. tales
  4. lies
  5. parables
  6. legends
  7. fictions
  8. stories
Noun
  • There are allegories that can be read about fear of the unknown breeding cruelty and exploitation, but Disclosure Day is first and foremost a propulsive yarn with thematic roots in hope, truth, empathy and perhaps even spirituality.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026
  • Sci-fi stories about alien invasions have often functioned as political allegories for anxieties around empire and immigration, Lechuga says.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Definition of allegories
Noun
  • Three Myths About The Streamlined Program Even expats who learn the program exists often hesitate, usually because of three myths.
    — Nathalie Goldstein, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Like all myths, that of Medusa plays upon the riddle of origins.
    — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of myths
Noun
  • No two tales of what happened to Maelor after his knight protector was shot dead agree, but the young boy was also slain on the bridge, perhaps torn apart by the mob who assailed him, arguing over what to do with the young prince.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Writers who tell tales without accounting for the omnipresence of digital eyes and data trails do so at their peril.
    — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of tales
Noun
  • In the film – sold by Beta Cinema and produced by Ostlicht Filmproduktion – an ambitious journalist (Valerie Pachner) wants to expose his lies.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • His prose radiates an ecstatic pessimism, as if lit up from within by the relief of not having to sugarcoat things with comforting lies.
    — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of lies
Noun
  • The pair’s mysterious interactions in the early chapters give way to a series of parables of doubt and belief, in which a rational character is confronted by an irrational event—and immediately convinced of its absolute truth.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • Jesus taught his followers by his remarkable example, including innumerable healings, as well as through his sermons and parables.
    — Eric Bashor, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026
Definition of parables
Noun
  • Tyler Clouse / Getty Images Earlier, Twins players and team legends also toured the movie site with several participating in father-son catches.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Stick to Football is hosted by footballing legends Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, Ian Wright and Roy Keane, and sees the group welcome guests to discuss all manner of football matters.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of legends
Noun
  • The ultimate object of these fictions is disorientation, more than belief.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Invasion fictions tended to spring up in response to each new form of invasion panic.
    — Ivan Kreilkamp, JSTOR Daily, 10 June 2026
Definition of fictions
Noun
  • The ByteDance app, for example, is directing users of its former AI companion service to another of its apps which solely focuses on building personalized AI characters and stories.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Here’s a quick guide to recent Star-Telegram stories every Texas driver should know.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of stories

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fabled
fables
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Cite this Entry

“Fables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fables. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fables for Spanish Speakers

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