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, pəˈræbəlɪst /

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

Swindon, for so long a political bellwether, is perhaps providing a parable of Englishness.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

The same could just as unnervingly be said about “The Crucible,” Miller’s parable about the McCarthy witch hunts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

Coogler’s period piece-meets-horror parable heads into Sunday’s awards ceremony with a record-breaking 16 nominations to Anderson’s 13 nods for “One Battle.”

From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026

In Matthew’s Gospel the virtuous figure of the parable is the first son, the one who initially refused his father’s instructions but then did his will after all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

My father mopped his brow again and launched into the parable of the one mustard seed falling on a barren place, and the other one on good soil.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

But among contemporary socio-economic parables, Mr. Park’s latest is an amusingly cutting one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025

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

To take one of the most famous Kafka parables, “Before the Law”: “This door was meant for you and you alone and now I’m going to shut it.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 18, 2023

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