parable
Americannoun
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a short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical point
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any of the stories of this kind told by Jesus Christ
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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”
Compare meaning
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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.
Vocabulary lists containing parable
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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American Born Chinese
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Star Choir” originated as a theatrical attempt to fill in the blanks of Butler’s unfinished novel “The Parable of the Trickster,” the planned third installation in her lauded 1990s “Parable” series.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 1, 2023
Farmer graduated in June 2021 from Evergreen Tacoma and now helps run a community bookstore and space with her family in Tacoma called Parable, offering books, plants and clothing.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2023
In "Parable of the Sower," a young girl has the power to change things.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2022
In the story “The Parable of Goats,” the protagonist is Second Lt.
From New York Times • Jul. 19, 2022
There was nothing in the subject to connect it particularly with any religious symbolism—not even with the Parable of the Sower who went forth to sow; nor with any series of personifications of the months.
From Great Men and Famous Women, Vol. 8 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
