cautionary tale

American  

[kaw-shuh-ner-ee teyl] / ˈkɔ ʃəˌnɛr i ˈteɪl /

noun

1. a story, experience, or situation that serves as a warning to others.

   The malware's devastating effect on her files became a cautionary tale about the importance of antivirus software.

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Etymology

Origin of cautionary tale

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

“The period from 2000 to 2010 is the cautionary tale here,” Colas says of the period when the S&P 500’s annualized returns were negative and it ended the decade below where it began.

From Barron's

Albert Birney, the director, co-writer and star, delivers a black-and-white ode to a previous era’s slippery boundaries between real existence and the 8-bit kind that isn’t quite a cautionary tale, nor does it want to be one.

From Los Angeles Times

Abdel-Fattah, a novelist, lawyer and academic, had been invited to the festival to discuss her latest novel Discipline – which she describes as "a cautionary tale about the cost of silence and cowardice".

From BBC

Past pushes into emerging markets that have reopened to foreign investors offer a cautionary tale, some analysts and bondholders say.

From The Wall Street Journal

Newman says it's more than a cautionary tale.

From BBC