PARABLE Definition & Meaning

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parable

[par-uh-buhl]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.
Synonyms: , ,
a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like.

parable

/ ˈpærəbəl, pəˈræbəlɪst /

noun

a short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical point
any of the stories of this kind told by Jesus Christ

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

parabolist noun

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of parable¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English parabil, from Late Latin parabola “allegory, comparison, word,” from Greek �貹��Ǳ�ḗ “comparison,” from para- para- ¹ + ��Ǳ�ḗ “a throw”

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of parable¹

C14: from Old French parabole, from Latin parabola comparison, from Greek �貹��Ǳ�ŧ analogy, from paraballein to throw alongside, from _para- ¹ + ballein to throw

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"It's a parable of excess, hubris, and then eventually nemesis."

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The play, following the novel’s lead, is a parable of overcoming.

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The first half of the film finds our riffraff joining forces to escape Valentina’s death trap; the second is a parable about mental illness where the metaphors take command over the plot.

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It's the parable, the fact that he identified with the pain and the suffering, and then the kindness of what he thinks Jesus was trying to teach.

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Pope Francis himself urged a more compassionate response to migration, drawing on Gospel teachings and the parable of the Good Samaritan.

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Related 51�Թ�s

fable��
tale��

parablast parables

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