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
The riffs and ribbing were still there, as were the parables about fame and celebrity as corruptive, murder-inspiring forces.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
This approach, which was known as neoclassical economics, struck Harris as an unrealistic parable that didn’t reflect the real world.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
The song feels like the confessional early raps of West, who’d deliver street parables on everything from love, shopping, and religion.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2024
These are parables with one goal: to get us to the epiphanic moment in which their heroines become aware of patriarchy, in painful and reality-disrupting fashion.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for parable 
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Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
This approach, which was known as neoclassical economics, struck Harris as an unrealistic parable that didn’t reflect the real world.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
The song feels like the confessional early raps of West, who’d deliver street parables on everything from love, shopping, and religion.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2024
These are parables with one goal: to get us to the epiphanic moment in which their heroines become aware of patriarchy, in painful and reality-disrupting fashion.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 5 Sep. 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 22 Nov. 2024.
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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