Definition of 'fable'

Word Frequency

fable

(feɪbəl )

Word forms: plural fables

1. variable noun

A fable is a story which teaches a moral lesson. Fables sometimes have animals as the main characters.

...the fable of the tortoise and the hare. [+ of]

Each tale has the timeless quality of fable.

Synonyms: legend, myth, parable, allegory More Synonyms of fable

2. variable noun

You can describe a statement or explanation that is untrue but that many people believe as fable.

Is reincarnation fact or fable?

...little-known horticultural facts and fables.

Synonyms: fiction, lie, fantasy, myth More Synonyms of fable

Word Frequency

fable in British

(ˈfeɪbəl )

noun

a short moral story, esp one with animals as characters

a false, fictitious, or improbable account; fiction or lie

a story or legend about supernatural or mythical characters or events

legends or myths collectively

▶ Related adjective: fabulous

5. archaic

the plot of a play or of an epic or dramatic poem

verb

to relate or tell (fables)

7. (intransitive)

to speak untruthfully; tell lies

8. (transitive)

to talk about or describe in the manner of a fable

ghosts are fabled to appear at midnight

Derived forms

fabler (ˈfabler)

noun

Word origin of 'fable'

C13: from Latin fābula story, narrative, from fārī to speak, say

Word Frequency

fable in American

(ˈfeɪbəl ; fāˈbəl)

noun

a fictitious story meant to teach a moral lesson: the characters are usually talking animals

a myth or legend

a story that is not true; falsehood

4. Archaic

the plot of a literary work

verb intransitive, verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfabled or ˈfabling

to write or tell (fables, legends, or falsehoods)

Derived forms

fabler (ˈfabler)

noun

Word origin of 'fable'

ME < OFr < L fabula, a story < fari, to speak: see fame

Example sentences containing 'fable'

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The essential fable here is one of redemption. The Times Literary Supplement (2010)Perhaps in London fable and fact have a habit of colluding. Times, Sunday Times (2006)Others are fables, with morals attached. Times, Sunday Times (2015)It's a complete fable this one, about a man in a mental institute. The Sun (2012)Behind this fable lies a sacred Chinese belief that anything is possible, given enough time and manpower. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Some reviewers have excused them by saying that this book is in fact a fable; but the plot is far too sprawling for that to seem plausible. Times, Sunday Times (2015)This imaginative reworking of a classic fable looks gorgeous but may be too dark for kiddies weaned on Frozen's syrupy slush. The Sun (2014)Now I will tell a fable to the lords, although they can think for themselves. Kishlansky, Mark A. (editor) Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1: From the Beginning to 1715 (1995)A sad fable, but one that spawned a million-dollar industry in signs. Times, Sunday Times (2008)