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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 parable
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
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
See All Example Sentences for parable
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
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
See All Example Sentences for parable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parable
Noun
-
As an allegory for displacement, for the lost sense of self that exile brings, as well as its eventual rediscovery, Yunan creeps up on you.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Fewer are discussing it as an allegory for our treatment of animals.—
Michael Freeman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Drawing on ancient folklore, fables and myths, Chainey’s film was branded a ‘folk horror’, a promise the film could not live up to.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Passengers huddle to hear the fabled tale of a sailor who fell in love with the ocean, an allegory about bravery, exploration and transformation.—
Josh Rivera,
USA TODAY,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Some of the men who were deported from Guantánamo to Venezuela have told a familiar tale of being beaten by guards, strip-searched, and put into solitary confinement, and of suicide attempts as well as hunger strikes to protest the inhumane conditions.—
Edwidge Danticat,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parable. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share