Definition of parablenext
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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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 References were made to the parable of the blind men and the elephant. — Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026 Mandela’s life and South Africa’s history should never be flattened into a corporate parable. — Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 The pair’s mysterious interactions in the early chapters give way to a series of parables of doubt and belief, in which a rational character is confronted by an irrational event—and immediately convinced of its absolute truth. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 Shifting baseline syndrome was initially considered an evocative parable of humans’ estrangement from wild nature—a warning in the form of a hypothesis. — Literary Hub, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for parable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parable
Noun
  • But those earlier tales often used monstrousness as an allegory for male violence.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The question reminded me of the biblical allegory of Adam and Eve and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister An eerie fable that seems to take place across and outside of time, The Bog Wife is already a classic of the modern bog-core genre.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • There is this Indian fable of a king whose heart resided in a parrot.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Wildwood is a dark tale, with whispers of a witch, set against the beautiful yet formidable backdrop of rural New England.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The tale is energized by the thoughtful performances of Hanns Zischler, as Mann, and Sandra Hüller, as the author’s daughter Erika, who accompanies him while reviving conflicts from her own past.
    — Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

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“Parable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parable. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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