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
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
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
See all Example Sentences for parable 
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
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
See all Example Sentences for parable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parable
Noun
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Trains that are promised to get to this destination are an allegory of a system.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Feb. 2025
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In that sense, Cronenberg’s films are eerily prescient allegories of our present-day techverse and proselytizing profiteers like Sam Altman and Elon Musk.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The bad news is that the same level of attention and care does not appear to have been extended to the story or the characters, which is lethal for something that’s supposed to be a modern-day fable.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
26 Jan. 2025
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All this recalls the fable of the boy who cried wolf once too often.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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And, in Washington, the 2004 tale of love and short-term memory loss took the crown.—
Melissa Santos,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
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Bar-Kar tells this tale of love, loss, and life-altering lyricism with the same tenderness of Ian’s songwriting.—
Audra Heinrichs,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Parable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parable. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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