parable means A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy. It carries an Arena rating of 1500, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, parable ranks #1,245 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,317 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words, #2,374 of 14,451 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,580 of 14,456 for The Improbable.
parable is pronounced /ˈpaɹəbəl/.
Why “parable” is a great word
A short, fictitious story that illustrates a moral or religious principle by comparison or analogy. From Middle English parable, from Old French parable, parabole, from Late Latin parabola ("comparison, speech"), from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, "juxtaposition, comparison"). Unlike a fable, which clothes its lesson in the antics of talking beasts, or an allegory, which constructs a rigid, systematic parallel to another reality, the parable operates through the shock of recognition—ordinary human situations suddenly luminous with meaning. It is the sower scattering seed on indifferent ground, the prodigal son returning to a father’s open arms, the pearl so singular a merchant sells everything to possess it—each a small, potent vessel whose quiet surface belies the profound depth of the truth it contains, pressing the listener toward that moment when understanding breaks through like a seed through stone.
Etymology
From Middle English parable, from Old French parable, parabole, from Late Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “comparison”). Doublet of parabola, parole, and palaver.
noun
- A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.“In the New Testament the parables told by Jesus Christ convey His message, as in "The parable of the prodigal son".”
verb
- To represent by parable.“Which by the ancient sages was thus parabled.”
adj
- That can easily be prepared or procured; obtainable.“The most parable and easy, and about which many are employed, is to teach a school, turn lecturer or curate […].”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- apologue 89% match — A short story with a moral, often involving talking animals or objects; a fable. vs parable →
- bispel 86% match — A proverb or parable. vs parable →
- folktale 84% match — A tale or story that is part of the oral tradition of a people or a place. vs parable →
- anagogy 84% match — The spiritual or mystical interpretation of a word or passage beyond the literal, allegorical or moral sense. vs parable →
- aggadah 84% match — A homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical text in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash. A parable that demonstrates a point of the Law in the Talmud. vs parable →
- simile 83% match — A figure of speech in which one thing is explicitly compared to another, using e.g. like or as. vs parable →
- moralize 83% match — To make moral reflections (on, upon, about or over something); to regard acts and events as involving a moral. vs parable →
- epimyth 83% match — The moral of a story. vs parable →