fabulist

American  

[fab-yuh-list] / ˈfæb yə lɪst /

noun

1. a person who invents or relates fables.

2. a liar.

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fabulist British  

/ ˈfæbjʊlɪst /

noun

1. a person who invents or recounts fables

2. a person who lies or falsifies

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Etymology

Origin of fabulist

1585–95; < Middle French fabuliste, equivalent to < fābul ( a ) fable + -iste -ist

Explanation

A fabulist is a storyteller. Your uncle who spends holiday gatherings telling stories that end with clear morals is a fabulist, and so is your cousin who invents long, complicated excuses for being late to school every morning. Someone who writes or recites fables — moralistic tales that often feature animals as characters — is one kind of fabulist. The ancient Greek fabulist Aesop, for example, composed many stories about talking animals that ended with important moral lessons. Another kind of fabulist is a person who tells tall tales, or who lies. The root of fabulist is the Old French fable, "lie or pretense," from the Latin fabula, "story, play, or tale," or literally, "that which is told."

Example Sentences

It takes an unconventional fabulist to address something so vast as American history.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2025

When former Representative George Santos, the serial fabulist, was expelled from Congress by his colleagues in December, he left in a huff, declaring, “to hell with this place.”

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2024

Interviews and a review of public records by The Associated Press suggest this was not likely Smirnov’s first turn in what the government says is a cycle as a fabulist.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024

Embattled fabulist Rep. George Santos is staring down a potential vote to expel him from Congress.

From Slate • Oct. 31, 2023

Any one who remembers the infinite variety of La Fontaine will feel that Gay the fabulist is a writer whose work the world has let die very willingly indeed.

From Views and Reviews Essays in appreciation by Henley, William Ernest