as in allegory
a story intended to teach a basic truth or moral about life
the parable in which the repentant sinner is compared to the returning prodigal son who is welcomed home
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Recent Examples of parable
The old transmissibility of truth presented in holy doctrine, tradition, parables, had decayed into near silence.
—
Joy Williams, Harper's Magazine, 2 May 2024
Elegant and spare, this is an environmental parable that doesn’t hammer away at its message.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 4 Dec. 2024
Some people come to listen, some to vent, some to mull the parables through fogs of addiction or mental illness.
—Moriah Ratner, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Even absent conscious efforts to use them strategically, parables in pop culture can inform how audiences think about real-world politics—often in ways that authors don’t necessarily intend.
—Charli Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2019
See All Example Sentences for parable
Joy Williams, Harper's Magazine, 2 May 2024
Elegant and spare, this is an environmental parable that doesn’t hammer away at its message.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 4 Dec. 2024
Some people come to listen, some to vent, some to mull the parables through fogs of addiction or mental illness.
—Moriah Ratner, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Even absent conscious efforts to use them strategically, parables in pop culture can inform how audiences think about real-world politics—often in ways that authors don’t necessarily intend.
—Charli Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2019
See All Example Sentences for parable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parable
Noun
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The eerie suitors and tense courtships throughout her art are allegories for her own jinxed marriages.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
ARTnews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Ant biology and behavior have long inspired science projects and allegories.—
Barbara Robertson,
The Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Bereft of chuckles or even a substantial story, this maudlin musical fable never escapes the drag of a lead character with supporting-player energy.—
Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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Many of our favorite stories, fables and rhymes came from the volumes of the set of Childcraft Books published in 1954 which accompany our family’s ages-old set of World Book Encyclopedias.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The six-part podcast series unravels the twisted tale of Stover, his ex-wife, the heiress, and the bodyguard.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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The romance drama is billed as an original tale of two strangers and the extraordinary emotional journey that connects them.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parable. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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