parable

American  

[par-uh-buhl] / ˈpær ə bəl /

noun

• parables
  plural

1. a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

   Synonyms:

   apologue, homily, allegory

2. a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like.

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parable British  

/ ˈpærəbəl /

noun

1. a short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical point

2. any of the stories of this kind told by Jesus Christ

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• parabolist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• parables
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of parable

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English parabil, from Late Latin parabola “allegory, comparison, word,” from Greek parabolḗ “comparison,” from para- para- ¹ + bolḗ “a throw”

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Compare meaning

How does parable compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• allegory vs. parable

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Explanation

A parable is a short and simple story that teaches a religious or moral lesson. The parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Prodigal Son are just two examples of the many parables attributed to Jesus, as recorded in the four gospels. Parable descends from the Greek parabolē, "a comparison, analogy," from paraballein, "to compare," from the prefix para-, "beside," plus ballein, "to throw." The sense of comparing, or throwing an idea beside another, is at the heart of the word. When you hear a parable, you're meant to use the comparison to learn how to act — the fox's "sour grapes" are compared to your own downgrading of the thing you cannot have.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parable parables

“Go and Do Likewise” is centered around the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Bible.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

Adapted from an 1895 Arthur Schnitzler novella that went unpublished until this century, “Late Fame” is a character study and parable whose concerns extend by implication in several directions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

With this intimate, painful epiphany, the show’s larger parable about obligingly submitting to ahistorical ignorance is blunted with a spiritually benevolent ideal.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

The film is, he said, is "another parable of parental crisis dressed up as a brightly coloured family adventure" - and a "cautionary tale about online childhoods".

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

Set in medieval Spain, Parsifal is ostensibly a parable about the Holy Grail, the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Kafka’s parables of angst and displacement are naturally diasporic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Buffett’s lessons and parables remind me of the volatility in technology stocks this year.

From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025

The first and second seasons are light parables that take on toxic masculinity, the weight of fatherhood and healing traumatic personal legacies.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2024

There are lengthy jokes, a smattering of horror, some nonfiction, even romances, poetry and parables.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024

He was known for anecdotes, and parables from Syria, quotations from the Qur’an, stories from his travels around the world.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

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Related Words

• fable
• tale

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