1
as in story
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
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2
as in anecdote
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally
asked Dad to tell once again the tale of how, as a kid, he broke his arm jumping out of a tree
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3
as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
told tall tales in an attempt to impress me with her supposedly upper-crust background
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novella
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tale
Contributing Writer Keith Cooper has the tale here After Americans declared independence on July 4, 1776, a waning gibbous moon rose in the night sky.
—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
4 July 2026
But many did not, as the 1981 episodes tell the grim tale of a young girl named Sylvia (Barash), who is raped by a stranger wearing a horrifying clown mask.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 July 2026
Many know the story of Lewis and Clark, but are unaware that the tale involved so much more than these two pioneers.
—
Josh Laskin,
Travel + Leisure,
3 July 2026
Bovary is in some sense a morality tale, but what lifts it above didacticism, along with its bone-deep interiority, is that its romantic plotlines are as addictive as the genre works that have ruined poor Emma Bovary.
—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
4 July 2026
But many did not, as the 1981 episodes tell the grim tale of a young girl named Sylvia (Barash), who is raped by a stranger wearing a horrifying clown mask.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 July 2026
Many know the story of Lewis and Clark, but are unaware that the tale involved so much more than these two pioneers.
—
Josh Laskin,
Travel + Leisure,
3 July 2026
Bovary is in some sense a morality tale, but what lifts it above didacticism, along with its bone-deep interiority, is that its romantic plotlines are as addictive as the genre works that have ruined poor Emma Bovary.
—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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Gil was trapped beneath more than 100 tons of rubble after the partial collapse of the Galerias Playa Grande commercial center, which includes buildings nine and four stories tall.
Noun
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The plane also includes a spacious press cabin, according to a pool reporter onboard, with lie-flat seats that feature a massage function and individual TV screens.
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The press cabin contains 14 lie-flat pods, including large tan leather seats with luxury features such as lumbar supports and massage functions.
Noun
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The whole gang is back, ready to play their parts in this never-ending novella.
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Based on a Stephen King novella, the period prison drama became a cult favorite thanks to video rentals and cable reruns.
Noun
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The request calls for a guest count of between 500 and 999 people, along with tents outside Madison Square Garden and street closures around the iconic venue.
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Eliseo Mauala was indicted by a Denton County grand jury on June 25 on two counts of collision involving death, Pilot Point police said in a news release.
Noun
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Test your knowledge of cruise controversies, wedding whispers and more in this week's American Culture Quiz.
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Sleep in peace with this tower fan, which is whisper-quiet at 25 decibels.
Noun
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Explore the Wild West from the back of a rickety wagon as characters share famed fables about Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox, Pecos Bill, John Henry and Hekeke.
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But the turtle/cat comment just sounds like a summary of Aesop’s absolute worst fable.
Noun
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Normally, credit bureaus tally any credit checks within a 45-day period as one credit check, and your credit score shouldn't go down more than several points when applying to multiple lenders.
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Luis de la Fuente’s team made 23 open-play crosses in the game, which was the joint-third highest tally across their past five major international tournaments (three World Cups and two European Championships).
Noun
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Reading scores among high school seniors are at their lowest in decades, according to federal testing data, while schools across the country are grappling with how to respond to waning attention spans and artificial intelligence.
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Kaishu Sano stole a pass in the middle of the field and then did the rest, running down the middle of the pitch before burying a right-footed strike into the left side of the goal, his first score in international play.
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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