WordValeparable
a short story teaching a moral or spiritual lesson
In more detail
1. (noun) a simple story that teaches a moral or religious lesson by describing a situation with a hidden meaning
2. (noun) a comparison between two things
Examples
- 1. The parable of the prodigal son teaches about forgiveness and family.
- 2. Life is a parable for a journey with many lessons along the way.
How to use parable
A parable is a brief, instructive narrative that conveys a moral or spiritual lesson through a story with symbolic or hidden meaning, commonly found in religious texts. It differs from a fable in that parables typically feature realistic human characters and situations rather than animals, and they usually carry a single profound message rather than multiple practical lessons.
Common phrases
- tell a parable
- biblical parable
- parable of the prodigal son
- parable about greed
- moral parable
Synonyms
allegory · fable · moral tale · cautionary tale · analogy
Word family
parabled (adjective) · parabolically (adverb)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse 'parable' with 'parallel' due to similar spelling; they are unrelated words with completely different meanings.
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