parable
noun
par·a·ble
ˈper-ə-bəl 
ˈpa-rə-
: a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle
the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan
also
: something (such as a news story or a series of real events) likened to a parable in providing an instructive example or lesson
In some ways, his life is a parable of the corrupting effect of great wealth, for he always assumed that everyone was after his money and out to cheat him. —
Gavin Stamp
Gavin Stamp By the summer of 2014, 380 House members and 74 senators had signed on as sponsors …. The ABLE Act had become a force. Yet in a parable of how Washington works, the bill still had a long way to go. —Gail Russell Chaddock
Gail Russell Chaddock 
Did you know?
Parable comes from the Latin word parabola, from Greek parabolḗ, meaning "comparison." The word parabola may look familiar if you remember your geometry. The mathematical parabola refers to a curve that is shaped like the path of something that is thrown forward and high in the air and falls back to the ground.
Examples of parable in a Sentence
He told the children a parable about the importance of forgiveness.
the parable of the Good Samaritan
Recent Examples on the Web
Bathed in a pink-pop glow, its pastiche of romance and horror collide in a viciously mischievous parable of technology and control that speaks to these most anxious times.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2025
From Timothy Snyder’s chilling parables of fascism abroad to Heather Cox Richardson’s portraits of extremism at home, our leading professional historians have played no small part in entrenching this sequence as the fundamental narrative of our time.
—Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for parable 
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Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2025
From Timothy Snyder’s chilling parables of fascism abroad to Heather Cox Richardson’s portraits of extremism at home, our leading professional historians have played no small part in entrenching this sequence as the fundamental narrative of our time.
—Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for parable
Dictionary Entries Near parable
Cite this Entry
“Parable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parable. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
parable
noun
par·a·ble
ˈpar-ə-bəl
: a short simple story illustrating a moral or spiritual truth
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