parable

[ par-uh-buhl ]
See synonyms for: parableparables on Thesaurus.com

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

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

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of parable

1
1275–1325; Middle English parabil<Late Latin parabola comparison, parable, word <Greek parabolḗ comparison, equivalent to para-para-1 + bolḗ a throwing

Other words for parable

Other words from parable

  • pa·rab·o·list [puh-rab-uh-list], /pəˈræb ə lɪst/, noun

Words Nearby parable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for parable

parable

/ (ˈpærəbəl) /


noun
  1. a short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical point: Related adjectives: parabolic, parabolical

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

Origin of parable

1
C14: from Old French parabole, from Latin parabola comparison, from Greek parabolē analogy, from paraballein to throw alongside, from para- 1 + ballein to throw

Derived forms of parable

  • parabolist (pəˈræbəlɪst), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012