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

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

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

• allegory vs. parable

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

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

Our critic called the series “a stylishly constructed parable about naiveté and spiritual emptiness.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

The most direct reading of this makes “The Sheep Detectives” a parable about denial and eventual acceptance following a great personal loss.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

For once he had no words to instruct our minds and improve our souls, no parable that would turn Ruth May’s death by snakebite into a lesson on the Glory of God.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Ms. Strout has developed her true mastery in an archetypal mode, writing stories that resemble secular parables or everyman morality dramas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

His genial demeanour and penchant for folksy parables belie a past as a wily guerrilla fighter and ruthless political survivor.

From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026

“A New Hope,” “ The Empire Strikes Back” and “Jedi” collectively became a kind of morality North Star for Gen X, augmented by Joseph Campbell’s authentication of the films as spiritual parables.

From Salon ● May 25, 2024

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

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2024

He paced, paused, spoke, and paced behind his palm-leaf altar, giving every impression he was inventing his Biblical parables on the spot.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• fable
• tale