'Fable' definitions:
Definition of 'fable'
From: WordNet
Definition of 'Fable'
From: GCIDE
- Fable \Fa"ble\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fabled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fabling.] To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction; to write or utter what is not true. "He Fables not." --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- Vain now the tales which fabling poets tell. --Prior. [1913 Webster]
- He fables, yet speaks truth. --M. Arnold. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Fable'
From: GCIDE
- Fable \Fa"ble\ (f[=a]"b'l), n. [F., fr. L. fabula, fr. fari to speak, say. See Ban, and cf. Fabulous, Fame.]
- 1. A Feigned story or tale, intended to instruct or amuse; a fictitious narration intended to enforce some useful truth or precept; an apologue. See the Note under Apologue. [1913 Webster]
- Jotham's fable of the trees is the oldest extant. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
- Note: A fable may have talking animals anthropomorphically cast as humans representing different character types, sometimes illustrating some moral principle; as, Aesop's Fables. [PJC]
- 2. The plot, story, or connected series of events, forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem. [1913 Webster]
- The moral is the first business of the poet; this being formed, he contrives such a design or fable as may be most suitable to the moral. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk. "Old wives' fables. " --1 Tim. iv. 7. [1913 Webster]
- We grew The fable of the city where we dwelt. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]
- 4. Fiction; untruth; falsehood. [1913 Webster]
- It would look like a fable to report that this gentleman gives away a great fortune by secret methods. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Fable'
From: GCIDE
- Fable \Fa"ble\, v. t. To feign; to invent; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely. [1913 Webster]
- The hell thou fablest. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Fable'
From: Easton
- Fable applied in the New Testament to the traditions and speculations, "cunningly devised fables", of the Jews on religious questions (1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:16). In such passages the word means anything false and unreal. But the word is used as almost equivalent to parable. Thus we have (1) the fable of Jotham, in which the trees are spoken of as choosing a king (Judg. 9:8-15); and (2) that of the cedars of Lebanon and the thistle as Jehoash's answer to Amaziah (2 Kings 14:9).
Synonyms of 'fable'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- action,
- adventure story,
- allegory,
- anagnorisis,
- angle,
- apologue,
- architectonics,
- architecture,
- argument,
- atmosphere,
- background,
- bedtime story,
- canard,
- catastrophe,
- characterization,
- color,
- complication,
- concoction,
- continuity,
- contrivance,
- denouement,
- design,
- detective story,
- development,
- device,
- episode,
- extravaganza,
- fabliau,
- fabrication,
- fairy tale,
- falling action,
- fantasy,
- fiction,
- figment,
- folk story,
- folktale,
- forgery,
- gest,
- ghost story,
- gimmick,
- horse opera,
- incident,
- invention,
- legend,
- line,
- local color,
- love story,
- Marchen,
- mood,
- motif,
- movement,
- mystery,
- mystery story,
- myth,
- mythology,
- mythos,
- nursery tale,
- parable,
- peripeteia,
- plan,
- plot,
- recognition,
- rising action,
- romance,
- scheme,
- science fiction,
- secondary plot,
- shocker,
- slant,
- space fiction,
- space opera,
- story,
- structure,
- subject,
- subplot,
- suspense story,
- switch,
- thematic development,
- theme,
- thriller,
- tone,
- topic,
- twist,
- Western,
- Western story,
- Westerner,
- whodunit,
- work of fiction